Pattaya visa legend dies of cancer

The Pattaya expat community is saddened to learn today that one of its most loved members, Darren McGarry, has died suddenly after a long battle with cancer.

Manchester-born McGarry was the founder of the successful Pattaya-based visa company Key Visa, reported Pattaya Mail.

He established a business in Bangkok before moving to Pattaya almost 30 years ago where he married a local woman in 2010.

Friends paid tribute to his flair for helping expats seeking visa extensions in Thailand as well as jumping through loopholes to help the expat community get visas for Thai wives and girlfriends who wanted to move to the respective homelands of their partners.

McGarry was also well known to the British embassy in Bangkok and was a trusted contact for expats seeking British passports without having to return to the UK.

Over the past few years, he’s soldiered on despite cancer sapping his strength and limiting his public life. But despite the pain, he always tried to help those seeking his wisdom and continued to work at his last premises next to Big C on Sukhumvit, Pattaya.

Matthew Razza Raspin was one of many to pay tribute on Facebook.

“So sad to hear this news. Rest in peace Darren McGarry. You helped me and my wife with our wedding certificate, the daughter’s birth certificate, the daughter’s passport the wife’s tourist visa and then the wife’s settlement visa. You were always available for a chat, we loved to sit back and talk about the good old days of Pattaya. You became a very good friend. You’ll be sadly missed by many my mate.”

Stan Monaghan echoed many sentiments.

“He will leave a huge hole in lots of people’s lives.”

Micky Plumb provided a humorous anecdote while paying tribute to his friend.

“I used his service to take my wife’s passport to the UK Embassy in Bangkok. I picked up the passport, came home and put the passport in the safe. My wife quickly went and checked the passport. He had given me a Ladyboy‘s passport by mistake, probably due to us chatting about home, laughing and joking in his office. That took some explaining to the Mrs I can tell you. Only in Thailand. Great guy from the same part of the world I come from near Manchester. He’ll be missed.”

He will be sadly missed by both family, friends and customers.