2022

Derek Day, ex Finance Manager Cardiff HPO and latterly PO Property Holdings

Sadly Derek Day passed away on 19th November 2022.

All Saints Church in Penarth, Cardiff had barely an empty seat on 14 December, as family, friends and former colleagues gathered to pay tribute to the friendships Derek had made through his 85 years of life and who had passed away in hospital of a tiresome and debilitating illness.

A proud Valleys boy, born in Porth in the Rhondda, excelling educationally via the local Grammar School and then gaining a BSc (Econ) at the London School of Economics, led to him becoming a Chartered Accountant having served his time as as articled clerk in London.

On an occasion when, as he said, ‘he had only gone down to the pub for a drink’, he met Margaret to whom he would be married for just over 60 years, who happened on their first meeting to be ‘minding the handbags for her friends’. The telegram from Her Majesty in September 2022 was the icing on the cake of a very happy family life eventually embracing four daughters, six grandchildren and three great grandchildren.

A varied career in industry, largely in the Barry area of South Wales with Distillers and then BP, was followed by a new career in the Post Office where he first became Head of Finance in Cardiff HPO in 1984. He continued to specialise in accountancy roles next at the Regional Headquarters and then, following Reorganisation, the Royal Mail Divisional Office and finally PO Property Holdings before retiring in 2003.

He combined his working life with a deep interest in World War 1 history, making (and leading) several visits to the famous battlefields of Ypres, Passchendaele and the Somme when on one memorable occasion his map reading abilities led them astray generating much mirth amongst the party. The Western Front Association were represented at the service in recognition of Derek’s longstanding contribution to it.

His sociability inevitably had led him into the clutches of Barry Round Table as a younger man which he chaired in 1976.  In addition to the fun and friendship he enjoyed there he had developed the ground-breaking initiative of a Santa Claus sleigh parading in 2022 around 22 local streets, along with reaching its 50th anniversary.

He also appeared many times on Barry Carnival floats ranging from Robin Hood and his Merry Men and then switching his allegiance to accompanying the nymph-like Ladies Circlers as a Fisherman on their entry the year after. A later appearance on a Dad’s Army float complemented his war time history interests.

His Christian nature saw him contributing to the functioning of his Church which he served variously as Secretary and Treasurer, although, whilst fleetingly considering ‘taking the cloth’, he was to conclude ‘he was better at people than the God part’.

As age crept on, Membership of 41 Club, Probus and Cowbridge U3A followed, taking a prominent interest in this last’s Stroller Group. In fact, it was fitting the current leader of that group in commenting on the passing of this long term former leader of the Strollers as ‘a great character and friend, always sociable and quick with witticisms’.

He will be missed by many, but none less than by Margaret, his widow, and his wider family whom he had always cherished but even more so during his lengthy retirement.

The Fellowship was represented at the Service by Dave Barrett, Peter Hall and Pete Walters with apologies from Howell Isaac who had taken ill that very morning.

Thanks are due to Margaret and Family for contributing to this Obituary as well as Maggie McGrath and Dave Barrett for adding to the work details.

Brian Morgan ex Northampton

Sad to advise that Brian passed away on 19th June.  He had been suffering with dementia and he had been in a home for a while and died in his sleep.  He was aged 85 years.   It is  understood that the funeral was a quiet family affair.

John Phillips ex Cardiff, Chelmsford and HQ

John sadly passed away on Tuesday 3rd May after a short illnes . Although John was not a member of the Fellowship he was widely known throughout the Business and his widow Sue has asked that we pass on this sad news.

John’s funeral will take place on Wednesday 25th May at 12.30pm at All Saints Church, Emberton, Olney, MK46 5DD and afterwards at Emberton Playing Fields.

George Cannon was born into a musical family, his father having formed ‘Billy Cannon and his Ballroom Orchestra’ in Chippenham.  He and his brother enjoyed happy childhood and early schooldays and on leaving school he successfully applied to become a Police Cadet at Devizes. But transport difficulties led him to choose to stay in Chippenham as a Junior Postman.

After two years he was called up for National Service in the RAF and while serving, the Post Office wrote to invite him to take the Limited Examination for P&TO which he passed and was then offered a vacancy at Chippenham before  receiving his discharge from the RAF in April 1952.

His career followed a traditional path – Temp Overseer/Instructor (SWPR Training Centre) 1962, Overseer Cheltenham via SWPR Regional Panel 1965, APC2 (SWPR) 1967, AHP Exeter 1970, Head Postmaster Bournemouth 1980 then District Head Postmaster Exeter 1987 where he remained until retirement in March 1992.

Behind these bare statistics was George the family man. It all began when he met his future wife, Maureen at a dance. As was the tradition they courted, became engaged on her 19^th birthday in Nov 1955 and married in Sept 1958.  Not only was she the love of his life for more than 53 years but also his rock. In his memoir, George wrote that he couldn’t have achieved what he did without her loyal and loving support.

Their only child, Andrew, was born in May 1964.  He grew up in Bournemouth and later attended Canterbury University where he was to achieve a B.A.(History).  He settled to work for the Crown Prosecution Service in Bournemouth where he met and later married Debbie much to George and Maureen’s delight in 1996.  They doted on their grandchildren Laura and Thomas, and helped to raise them when Debbie was widowed following Andrew’s tragic premature death in November 2007.  The bond with Debbie, Laura and Thomas remained strong and George was immensely proud of them.

He was to remain very active in the Devon community after retirement and continued to support The Prince’s Trust, Devon & Cornwall TEC and Rotary where he was proud to serve as President for a year.

Finally free of responsibilities, he and Maureen were able to indulge their love of travelling and for the next few years they enjoyed extensive sight-seeing holidays including the music of Nashville and New Orleans in America, the spectacular scenery of Montana and The Rockies in Canada and the sunshine spots in Europe.  They were also able to see the many London musicals.

With the very sad exeption of their son Andrew’s tragic death, retirement had turned out to be a very happy time but that was to change in July 2009 when Maureen was sent for an eye test – this was the first step in a long chain of events which would eventually lead to her death from cancer in June 2012.

George was bereft until he belatedly decided to join a local bereavement group.  There he was introduced to a lovely lady, Delzia, who had nursed her husband in his final days as George had nursed Maureen.  They discovered common interests focussed on family history in East Coker, Somerset and a shared love of singing and dancing.  From that meeting in January 2014 George’s life was to change dramatically……

With Delzia, he joined a local choir and began entertaining at venues across the district. George had a fine bass voice and often sang solo – at other times he and Delzia would duet.  They joined the choir on a cruise to the Canaries and enjoyed it so much they took many other cruises where they could dance and sing whenever the opportunity arose.  Friends soon noticed they were besotted with each other, and it was no surprise when they jetted off to Brazil and cruised around the South American islands until docking at Montevideo where Delzia had been born and raised.

George asked Delzia to show him where John, her late husband, had proposed to her all those years ago.  As they stood on that spot, George dropped on one knee and asked Delzia if she would marry him.  Ever the romantic ….

They were married on a rainy day in February 2018 at the beautiful St Andrew’s URC Church in Bournemouth with close friends joining them at a small reception.  They were to enjoy more sight-seeing holidays and cruises often entertaining other passengers singing together on karaoke sessions.

George had one final wish granted when Delzia gifted him a flight in a WW2 Spitfire for his 90^th birthday – he flew in the autumn of 2021and loved it.

After a very happy Christmas and New Year George spent a short time in hospital suffering heart failure.  He was discharged and appeared to be making a good recovery, but it was not to last and he passed away on Tuesday 19^th April.

George was a good man – a true gentleman – devoted to his family and loyal to his friends. RIP.

We are grateful to Eric Burg for this full obituary of George’s life.

We have just been informed that, very sadly, Jon passed away peacefully on 18 March aged 83 years.  The funeral is at Colchester Crematorium on Thursday 21 April at 11.45am.  Any further details will posted when received.