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| Obituaries |
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| David Storrar |
John Meadows |
Gerry Reynolds |
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David Neal Timothy Storrar: 1946 - 2007
On 19th November, 2007, St. Edmund & St. Mary Parish Church, Ingatestone,
was filled to capacity with family, villagers, customers and friends to say
farewell to a much loved and respected father, businessman and colleague.
David, known to family and close friends as Tim, died suddenly at home from
an aneurism during the afternoon of 4th November, 2007, having felt unwell
whilst cycling.
David was born in Hertfordshire on 3rd January, 1946. It was here that he
was educated and trained as a Hair Stylist. In 1967 he married Janet and soon
after achieved a long held ambition to own his own hairdressing salon. By
chance, he was sent details of a shop in Ingatestone and Christians soon became
a focal point for hair styling in Ingatestone High Street; more recently, the
business relocated to Shenfield.
In May 1975 David founded, with others, the Ingatestone Rotary Club and
became one of its key members. He was President of the Club in 1985/86 and
remained an active and enthusiastic member. His work in the local community was
unceasing and ranged from organising theatre trips for the elderly to assisting
and overseeing local youth groups.
He was able to use his hobbies of cycling and swimming to raise money for
charity and completed 10 charity rides and swims. Another of his interests was
skiing and most years he could be found hitting the slopes of Europe. Above
all, David was a devoted family man and on 23rd October, 2007, celebrated 40
years of marriage to Janet. As an anniversary present their three daughters,
Kirsty, Rebecca and Imogen, bought them a week in a Devon cottage where they
could enjoy walks and relaxation away from the pressure of business. Both David
and Janet treasured this week and the happy memories it will sustain. In
addition to his wife and daughters David is survived by an elder brother and
sister, Alan and Brenda, his twin brother Bill and half-brother Colin
David will be greatly missed by many, be it the residents of the cottages
facing his balcony who admired David's carefully tended floral displays, those
lucky enough to enjoy the rose hip syrup and sloe gin he produced from the
berries collected during his walks, those with whom he cycled, skied and
walked, those Rotarians who shared so much of his life, his work colleagues and
customers, and, of course, family and friends.
David gave so much to life and it was a privilege to have shared it with
him.
Peter Phillips |
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John Meadows: 1942 - 2002
"Service above Self"The Rotary motto is something we all
aspire to. It is probably something that most of us fail to achieve in our
lives. This, however, was certainly not the case with John. His life was marked
by the service which he gave to the village of Ingatestone and its surrounding
communities. This was not only through his association with our Rotary Club. By
being born and having lived in Ingatestone and the surrounding villages all his
life, and with his business in the High Street, he was truly the "local
boy" and there did not seem to be anyone he did not know or wish to
help.
It was through his association with the Club, of course, that we best knew him.
One can remember the early days of the film shows he used to arrange for the
old people in the Community Centre with the projector, which always seemed to
break down until John persuaded the Club to invest in a new one. There were the
"mystery tours" he arranged each year for the old people. Each one
was well thought out and personally researched with his usual thoroughness to
make sure that nothing would go wrong, whether it was a day's boating trip up
the Thames, along the Medway or even to see Buckingham Palace.
These were usually such a mystery that, John being John, he did not often let
on to the Rotary helpers where we were going! (This thoroughness of approach
made sure that the Club trip which he and Margaret arranged to Bruges and
Ostend was, by common consent, the best ever!)
Above all, it will be for the Rotary Float that he will be remembered
for his contribution to the community. John supplied the float, decorated it
and mapped out the daily routes.
Lack of numbers or inclement weather were no excuse for not going out on the
daily forrays. The hapless snowmen sitting on the back may have been hanging on
to the side for dear life, been driven into overhanging branches or reversed
into rhododendron bushes, found themselves falling down potholes, or even just
found themselves left behind if they were too slow to get back.
Nothing was to stop the float's progress. And this was just loved by the
public, who really were pleased to see us each year and who were genuinely
concerned if we did not turn up on the same day each year. The float raised
thousands of pounds each year for good causes. And this would not have been
possible without the enthusiasm and dedication of John, who was the only member
who turned out, each day and every day, over all these years, until eventually
prevented from doing so by the ill health which so affected his latter
days.
John kept his own counsel and at times it was not easy to break into his shell.
However, if you happened to share his schoolboy enthusiasms of trains, boats
and planes ( not forgetting cars and buses), he had a wealth of knowledge and
reminiscences which he would share. He loved to go on his train trips to
various parts of the country and share these with us.He had some quite amazing
stories to tell of his strange happenings with village customers. He had a wry
and often mischievious sense of humour.
It is difficult to accept that John is no longer with us. No more will we hear
his jokes and tales at our dinners. No more will my perplexed staff get phone
calls from a caller appearing to have the same voice, introducing himself
respectively as "Mr. Fields", "Mr.Champs" and
"Mr.Vegas".
All our thoughts go out to Margaret, Angela and Russell. They, and all of us,
have lost a great friend and a man who throughout his life truly placed service
above self.
Peter
Burnett |
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Gerry Reynolds: 1927 - 2002
It was with great sadness that news of Gerry's death was received on Friday
15th November, so soon after his return from a holiday in America. For most of
us the news was received whilst we were enjoying a barn/ceilidh dance at
Mountnessing, an occasion which would surely have been supported by Gerry and
Brenda.
In 1974/5 Shenfield Rotary Club decided that Ingatestone could well support
their own Club and from the experience of some of their members, Gerry seemed
the ideal man to approach to organise a recruiting project. This he accepted
with enthusiasm, encouraging other local businessmen to join him.
The Inaugural Dinner with Gerry as Inaugural President was held on 19th
February 1975. This was followed by Charter Night on 26th June 1975, when he
became our Founder President, supported by 27 members.
A busy, responsible two years followed when the foundation was laid for what
our Club stands for today:- Charitable, Caring, Fellowship and Fun.
Following this office, his service to our Club has been continuous, bringing
his business and accountancy skills to serve as Treasurer and Auditor for a
number of years. He served also on committees such as Foundation, Vocational
and Sports. Along with David Fincham he was able to encourage influential
speakers such as Alex Jarrett, Terence Becket and others.
His most memorable project was his support for the "Water Aid" scheme
with Behur (India) Rotary Club. This project to supply plentiful clean water to
Behur was a joint endeavour by Ingatestone and Behur clubs, plus grants from
Rotary International and the British Government raising a total of
£10,800.
In November 1990 Lynn and Gerry whilst on their way to Australia were able to
visit for five days in Behur and see the work and meet Rotarians and villagers
involved. The project was completed in February 1991 and Gerry continued to
receive correspondence from them.
Gerry always fully participated in the Club and was ready to speak up on many
issues and he was very supportive whenever possible.
The willingness to give hospitality in their home by Gerry and Lynn on fund
raising evenings for all of us, such as "Save the Children" and the
hosting of our Dutch friends, was always accompanied by piano and song.
In recognition of his service to Rotary and our Club, the members were pleased
to honour Gerry with the Paul Harris Award in June 1996. As most of you
know, Paul Harris Awards are not given lightly by our Club, as is the case with
some others, and in the 27 year history of Ingatestone, only four have been
given for exceptional service to the Club and the Rotary movement in
general.
We were pleased when Gerry met and married Brenda after some lonely years
following the tragic death of Lynn. We welcomed her into the club and together
they continued to give their full support.
Gerry lived life to the full and from this we all benefitted. His legacy is
surely a "Happy, Caring, Fellowship Club"- Long may it last. |
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