Obituaries
Club Members' Obituaries
Obituary - John Meadows
Obituary - David Storrar
Obituary - John Boon
Obituary - Alan Cooper
Obituary - David John Goodman
Obituary - Leonard George Lister
Obituary - Ron Went
Obituary - Brian Procter
Obituary - Alan Buckley
Obituary - Duncan Stewart
Obituary - Ian Churley
Obituary - Roger Harste
Obituary - Barry Turner
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Obituary - Gerry Reynolds
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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Obituary - John Meadows
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.
hese 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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Obituary - David Storrar
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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Obituary - John Boon
John Deryk Boon: 1928 - 2012
John had been a member of our club ever since our mother club - Shenfield - folded. He was able to attend meetings initially, but ill health of both John and Greta, his wife, precluded him from attending during the last 3 years.
Several members attended the Service of Thanksgiving at the Chapel, Brentwood School on 4th January together with a very solid representation from his former Shenfield club.
It was a lovely service for a lovely man. John was a gentle, sincere man and Gordon Hepburn made a tribute to John.
"John Boon was a founder member of the Shenfield and Hutton Rotary Club. He was the first community service chairman when the club was formed in 1965 and went on to serve that committee for many years, raising substantial funds for local charities, organisations and individuals.
More recently he was involved in the jazz concerts that are held annually at Ingatestone Hall and which raise funds for the local hospices.
John was a quiet man, who did much within Rotary.
He will be sadly missed by all those who had the privilege to know him".
The club has made a donation to Saint Francis Hospice in memory of John.
by Rotarian Barry Turner
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Obituary - Alan Cooper
Alan Brian Cooper: 1938 - 2014
August 2014 has been a very sad month of for us all, with the loss of two of our most stalwart members - David Goodman and Alan Cooper. They passed away within a week of each other, and their cremations were both held at Chelmsford, only six days apart. The services were poignant and very sad, with the son-in-laws of David, and Alans son Steve giving emotive tributes to both men.
lan had been a member of Rotary for over 20 years, and served as President. He had always been a very enthusiastic member during that time, but also critical when he considered our club had made a wrong decision. Consequently his presence always produced great debates!
Steve brought home how loved he was, and how much we will all miss BOTH Alan and David.
Alan had had, like David, long term health problems , but as you can imagine, fought the good fight for a very long time. He passed away at the age of 76.
Our thoughts and sympathy are for Doreen and their families.
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Obituary - David John Goodman
David John Goodman 1939 - 2014
August 2014 has been a very sad month of for us all, with the loss of two of our most stalwart members - David Goodman and Alan Cooper. They passed away within a week of each other, and their cremations were both held at Chelmsford, only six days apart. The services were poignant and very sad, with the son-in-laws of David, and Alans son Steve giving emotive tributes to both men.
Steve brought home how much we will all miss BOTH Alan and David.
Listening to the Tribute to David, it was as if we didnt know about this modest man, with so many talents and skills- a degree in Maths, musician and lover of jazz, financial advisor, a wiz with computers, and many others that he was too modest to tell us about. He had been our President on two occasions and treasurer for a number of years.
In recent years, David had suffered with Prostate cancer, and had typically studied the condition, and lectured to lay audiences on the need to have regular check-ups.
David had had, like Alan, long term health problems , but as you can imagine, fought the good fight for a very long time. He passed away at the age of 75.
Our thoughts and sympathy are for Liz and their families.
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Obituary - Leonard George Lister
Leonard George Lister 1925 - 2016
The Rotary Club of Ingatestone lost one its most experienced and respected members on Wednesday 10 February 2016 when Honorary Member Len Lister died.
One of the Founder Members of the club when it was chartered in 1975. Over the years Len held numerous club offices - our 4th President in 1978/79 and our Secretary for many years until 2001. Len was recognised by the Rotary Club of Ingatestone through the awarding of a Paul Harris Fellowship
In 1979 Len and Barry Turner set up the successful link with our twin club, Vriezenveen in North East Holland.
A regular attender at club meetings until recently, Len could always be relied on for his sage advice thanks to his encyclopedic knowledge of all things Rotary.
A mentor and a role model to many in the Ingatestone Rotary Club, Len’s wisdom, wit and humour will be sadly missed by all who knew him. The club's thoughts are with his daughter Rosemary and the family at this sad time.
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Obituary - Ron Went
Ron Went : 1942 - 2018 - Friend of Ingatestone Rotary |
Our hearts and thoughts go out to his wife Pauline and close family at this time of loss, grief and sorrow.
A Service to Remember the Life of Ron was held at South Essex Crematorium, Ockendon Road, Upminster, RM14 2UY on Monday 19th March at 12.40pm. - followed by refreshments and drinks at Crondon Park Golf Club, Stock Road, Stock, CM4 9DP.
Anyone wishing to make a donation to Farleigh Hospice in Ron’s memory may do so by donating directly or by donating towww.justgiving.com/Kaitie-Robson
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Obituary - Brian Procter
Brian Procter 19XX - 2018
"The latest casualty has been the sad demise of Brian Proctor, who was such a stalwart within our ranks.
Brian joined us in approximately 1978.
Being such a gregarious character, he soon made his mark and became our President in 1981/2.
He was very involved in everything social, and together with his wife, Miriam, could keep us amused for hours on our weekends away or our ski and walking holidays, and the Dutch exchanges.
Brian was keen on all sports, a good snooker and table tennis player, an adequate golfer, and not a born skier-which he was quick to acknowledge, but was always good value.
Brian became a mason and gradually this became his first love-reaching great heights within the organisation’s ranks.
Over the past few years, he had suffered from many health issues.
He leaves us with many fond memories."
- Courtesy of Rtn. Barry Turner
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Obituary - Alan Buckley
22nd April 1946 - 8th August 2018
The Kelvedon Hatch & Villages satellite club were devastated to hear of the death of Alan Buckley; their chair for 2018/9.
Alan had been in poor health for some months and unable to take part in the most recent meetings and club activities, however he maintained an active interest to the end. He came to the Ingatestone parent club's jazz Night and being pushed around in a wheel chair only a few weeks previously.
Alan was a founder member of Kelvedon Hatch & Villages and was involved in all of club activities, one of which, a charity theatre event in Ongar, is still being developed and organised. Alan was also heavily involved in many local activities and was both a parish and a church counsellor. He will be sadly missed by his family and many friends and colleagues. He leaves behind his widow Jill, children, grandchildren and many dear friends, our thoughts are with them all at this time.
Christine Blackie
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Obituary - Duncan Stewart
6th September 1934 - 19th June 2019 | A service of celebration for the life of Duncan MacLachlan Stewart was held on Wednesday 24th July at 2.00 pm St Mary The Virgin Church, Fryerning. |
Eulogy - given by Charlie Stewart at the service on Wed 24th July
- you can download the text here
Tribute by his friend, Dick Shervington - also at the service
For those who haven’t heard I have to advise you that sadly Duncan Stewart died yesterday morning [ 19th June 2019] – he had not been well for quite some time
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Obituary - Ian Churley
27th April 1946 - 12th August 2019 |  |
Ian Churley’s death was a great shock to us all.
It was only about a month from when he was still active to his admittance to hospital till his death.
Many of us had known Ian and Edna for about 7 years. Along with Alan Buckley, Leonie Harvey, and Christine Blackie and others, they were involved in the formation of our Satellite Club, the Rotarians of Kelvedon Hatch & Villages. Ian was very active there until he transferred to the Ingatestone club a few years ago.
Ian was a very welcome addition to the club – he did so much from organising visits to HM Prison, Brixton’s restaurant, the Royal Mail Sorting Office at Mount Pleasant, organising Treasure Hunts and arranging our visit to Chelmsford Races. He managed the logistics at both the new Ingatestone Christmas Market and the Jazz Concert – and just last year served as our Club President. – he will be sorely missed by Rotary.
On hearing the sad news, many messages of sympathy for the club and the family have been received – including messages from Pauline Dean, District Governor and Lesley Sulley, last year’s DG.
Our thoughts are with Edna and the children, Martin, Dawn and Alan.
A Service celebrating his life was held at Brentwood Crematorium on Wednesday 28th August and afterwards at Ashwells.
Ian was an only child, a Head Boy at school and a Queen's Scout at 11. On leaving school, he trained to be a surveyor and after qualifying built a business based in Newbury Park. He married Edna when 21.
He was a member of Round Table and then the Upminster 41 Club. With Edna, he was a great fund raiser for charity - too many events to list, but notable were the 'Prom in the Park', cycle rides in the Alps and Lands End to John O'Groats.
He was also a loyal West Ham supporter. Always enjoyed entertaining his friends with parties. Someone who will be missed by so many - evident by the number attending the service.
29.08.19 - message from his son, Alan
The donations that have been made have been remarkable, with
the donations made today and all of you that have generously donated online we
have gone past £2,600 *. That figure is amazing so thank you all for being part
of Dad's final act of fundraising for such a good cause.
*donated to Haematology Cancer Care supports the Haematology Unit at UCLH.
Those Who Love — Anonymous
It’s always those who love the most
Who most miss the one they love,
When comes the parting of the ways,
And clouds loom dark above;
But tears will pass, your skies will clear
Then will you smile again,
And comfort find in memories,
Which now bring bitter pain.
Obituary - Roger Edward Harste
19th September 1943 – 23rd February 2020
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After leaving Ilford High School,
Roger did a 5 years engineering apprenticeship with EEV – Marconi in
Chelmsford. He then joined the British Broadcasting Corporation, starting in
Studios with Television until moving to HR. He worked with BBC until his first
retirement at 55. The BBC asked him to come back for 6 months to work in
‘Digital TV’ – this lasted 6 years.
Roger joined Epping Forest Rotary
Club in June 1983 as a founder member and was President in 1998/99. The
post he held the longest was Community Service which was where his heart was.
After transferring from Epping Forest in 2001, Roger was
President of Ingatestone Rotary Club in 2008/9 and served as our club
secretary for over 14 years. He was honoured with a Paul Harris Fellowship
Award for his efforts.
Roger was very supportive in helping to set up the Rotarians of Kelvedon
Hatch & Villages, in which his widow, Gill, is an active Rotarian,
serving as Treasurer of Ingatestone’s Satellite Club.
It was while a member of Epping Forest in the mid 90's, he joined the 1240 District
Team and worked hard to support several
Rotary clubs and their members in our Area over many years both as an
Assistant Governor and also on the District Membership team until his death. Roger devoted a great deal of his time to 1240 District
responsibilities and will be sorely missed by club & District.
Roger was a dedicated Rotarian for 37 years and was a strong supporter
of the Rotary motto “Service above Self”. Hardworking and dependable, he
gave many hours to this work in addition to the numerous fund-raising events
run by his club. He could always be relied upon to give an honest, well-reasoned
opinion about situations and their resolution. He had a great sense of humour
and it was clear that he and Gill were a strong team. Everyone knew him as a likeable, warm and friendly person
always ready to listen and be supportive. He
devoted so much of his time to club and District matters and was very highly
respected
Roger commenced
as a volunteer with the Citizens
Advice Bureau from October 2006 with Induction Training and, after
working with advisers and clients, he became fully-fledged, with a certificate
on 10th November 2008. This was when the bureau was
housed in Crown Street Brentwood and he worked with them ever since on a
regular basis. Roger
was a very well-liked and respected member of their team. He will be very much
missed by everybody - the
staff who work there and the clients.
Another of Roger’s interests was pottering around in Boats - specifically
the Savoy Hill – a narrowboat owned by the BBC Club..
Roger was twice Chair of the committee for many years trying to keep the
operation going until 2015, when the boat was sold to ABC Boats to manage..
………………….
Sadly, Roger had been unwell for the past six months, in and out of hospital fighting bravely against Mesothelioma
He leaves behind his widow Gill, stepchildren, and
grandchildren and many dear friends. He will be sadly missed by his family
and many friends and colleagues.
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Obituary - Barry A. Turner
26th March 1940 – 12th February 2024
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On receiving the sad news from Irene on Barry's passing away, I tended to reflect on life, on all the different people that I have met, and
how different they all are.
Barry wasn’t just different, Barry was special.
I first met Barry when he came to Ingatestone as a Dentist and myself, my wife and children became patients. He was an excellent dentist and impressed us all and was very good with the children as they felt going to the dentist was quite enjoyable !
When the Rotary club was first formed, Barry became a founder member and we became friends. A friendship that has lasted for over 50 years.
Initially the Rotary club was split into various committees, I was Community Service chairman and Barry was on the committee with me. We met every month as a Committee with a full attendance every month held in different members homes, ably supported by our wives who provided great refreshments for us all (special mention to Pam Nicol's meringues).
We did a tremendous amount of work in the community that first year establishing the Rotary Club. The committee meetings were looked upon as very enjoyable by all and sometimes went on to midnight! This created a great fellowship between members which has lasted to this day
Barry was instrumental in our twinning with the Dutch Club Vriezenveen with Len Lister a founder member. They visited the Dutch club and forged an agreement to be twin clubs. So began many enjoyable exchange visits between the clubs spanning many years.
Barry also introduced some of the club members to Skiing, it was a new venture for many and became a annual trip to many wonderful places, it never produced any Franz Klammer’s but we all excelled at the apres ski. Luckily Barry was always keen to organise these trips.
Ingatestone Rotary Club was a very social club and Barry suggested and arranged weekends away for members, which deepened the friendship and fellowship within the club
Through Rotary fellowship we went on to raise large amounts of monies for our charities. Barry had an idea to hold charity Boxing evenings at the Meads in Brentwood. Thousands of pounds were raised for Polio Plus which could be claimed to be the greatest achievement by Rotary to eradicate this decease world wide..
In recent years Barry turned his fund raising attentions to holding an annual golf day for the last twenty years. It has raised thousands of pounds for various charities. One of these being the Helen Rollason Trust - the sports newscaster who lived in Shenfield and tragically died of cancer at a very young age. On that day the amount raised was one of the largest amounts we have ever raised.
An eagerly awaited monthly club newsletter was another one of Barry’s contributions, tongue in cheek comments about members never nasty but often very amusing.
Barry was a great Rotarian, but more importantly he was great friend and I am sure many of you will also have fond memories of some of the wonderful times we all shared together.
Rest well my friend
Ian Hepburn
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