THE tragic Luton-Irish pensioner who died after going missing from his home will be buried in Britain.
Andrew Goldsboro vanished on Sunday, November 3, sparking a huge reaction from the Bedfordshire town’s Irish community as local people joined the police search effort.
But two weeks after his disappearance, the 78-year-old Tipperary-native’s body was discovered in nearby woodland.
Mr Goldsboro will be laid to rest at St Joseph’s Church in Luton on Wednesday, November 27, at 12 noon.
The retired maintenance engineer’s distressed family grew increasingly worried in the days after he went missing, fearing that memory-loss or depression could have been a cause.
After his body was discovered, his daughter Nuala said the family was “devastated”.
“But at least the nightmare of not knowing has ended,” she added.
Referring to the small woodland area where her father’s body was found, Ms Goldsboro explained: “It looks like he was disorientated, tried to get shelter and fell asleep.
“We believe he died in his sleep. God rest his soul.”
Bedfordshire Police confirmed that the circumstances surrounding the death were “not suspicious”.
Mr Goldsboro was last seen by his wife Bernadette, a Donegal-native, at 7.15pm on Sunday, November 3.
His daughter said the disappearance was especially distressing because the Ballingarry man would “never ever” go somewhere without leaving a note or telling Bernadette.
On the day he disappeared, Mr Goldsboro sat down to watch television after speaking on the phone with his brother in Ireland and one of his daughters in Dubai.
But he decided to go to bed early after he found himself falling asleep. That sparked the start of his evening ritual, which ended when he took out his teeth and went outside for a cigarette.
The last time his wife saw him was when he walked out the door.
When Mr Goldsboro did not return for 15 minutes she wandered outside to see if he had fallen, but could not find him in the garden or down the road.
In the two weeks that followed, police were unable to confirm any sightings of the Irishman. Their search effort included the use of sniffer dogs, CCTV cameras and numerous search parties.
In a statement, the family thanked the police and the community for their support since Mr Goldsboro went missing.
“The family would like to send heartfelt thanks to all the thousands of people who assisted in the search for Andy during the time he was missing and for all their cards, thoughts and prayers,” it added.
