A SMALL piece of slightly crumpled paper is being treasured in an Ipswich home today by a grieving widow.It contains a poem written by Kevan Paterson to his wife Judith after she asked him to write about how he felt.

A SMALL piece of slightly crumpled paper is being treasured in an Ipswich home today by a grieving widow.

It contains a poem written by Kevan Paterson to his wife Judith after she asked him to write about how he felt.

Yesterday Mr Paterson, 46, was killed when his lorry struck a bridge on the A14 near Nacton at about 3.45am.

The poem contains the lines: “You're on my mind all the time, morning noon and night. And when we meet Fridays you're such a lovely sight.

I miss you so all the time, because I work away. But when we're not together, I'll phone you every day.

“There is something I must say, This I can tell you from the start because, my love, you have my heart.”

Mrs Paterson said: “He was a happy man who was always smiling. He was my soul mate.

“He was everybody's friend, one in a million. We're all devastated and everyone in the family loved him.

“He didn't have a bad bone in his body and would do anything for anyone.”

The crash saw the eastbound-carriageway blocked for more than nine hours and created traffic chaos in and around Ipswich.

Judith Paterson said her husband, who was known as “Ginge” to his friends and colleagues, was “one of the best.

The couple, who were due to move house next week, had been married since 2001 and between them shared seven children and nine grandchildren.

Mrs Paterson said: “He will be dearly missed by all the children and step-children. All the kids loved him so much. He was forever joking around with the grandkids.

“He was just a great friend to everyone. We went to lay flowers at the spot where he died and all the other drivers were beeping their horns as a mark of respect.”

Mrs Paterson said that her husband had been driving a lorry between 15 and 20 years but had also been a pub landlord in Cambridgeshire and of the Weeping Willow in Bury St Edmunds.

She added: “It's just such a shock. He was a lovely man who enjoyed his garage and tools and loved making things. He really liked his gadgets and especially his computer.”

As well as having his own courier company, Mr Paterson worked for Felixstowe hauliers, Dart Distribution, based in the town's Sub Station Road.

Staff at the company's depot were informed of his death by managing director Andy Packer as they arrived for work. Mr Packer said: “We are still trying to come to terms with the situation.”

We would like to apologise for spelling Mr Paterson's name incorrectly in yesterday's Evening Star, the information was provided by Suffolk police.