Del Boy never marries. He has had many girlfriends, a fact that is the subject of numerous sarcastic comments by Rodney. He finally meets his partner Raquel Turner (whom he calls his "significant other") in the 1988 special "Dates". Del's mother Joan dies on 12 March 1964, apparently after a long string of illnesses. His lazy father Reginald leaves three months later (on Del's 16th birthday), taking most of their money and even Del's birthday cake. This leaves the teenage Del as the family's sole breadwinner, looking after his grandfather and Rodney, his half-brother who was born around thirteen years after him
Raquel Verdesoto Raquel Verdesoto Raquel Verdesoto Salgado de Romo Dávila (November 16, 1910 in Ambato – May 27, 1999 in Quito) was an Ecuadorian writer, poet, teacher, feminist, and activist. Her parents were Francisco Verdesoto Murillo and Lucila Salgado Hidalgo, she earned a teaching degree from the Manuela Cañizares Normal School. She published her first book of poetry "Sin mandamientos" (English: "Without Commandments") in 1934, which scandalized Ecuadorian society at the time. She majored in Literature at the Central University of Ecuador, and earned a doctorate in Education Science. Besides her poetry, she is also known for her biographical works. As a