It was with great sorrow that we read in the 17th January 2002 edition of the "Newbury Weekly News" of the death of Ray Pedley on 9th January 2002.
Below is the notice and obituary which appeared in the "N.W.N"
PEDLEY. On January 9th 2002, peacefully at Royal Berks Hospital, after a short illness, Ray Pedley aged 84 years. Much loved and sadly missed by all his family and friends. Funeral service at St. George's Church, Wash Common on Wednesday January 23rd at 12.30pm, followed by private cremation. Family flowers only, donations if desired for Macmillan Nurses, c/o Camp Hopson, Funeral Directors, 90 West Street, Newbury RG14 1HA. Tel: (01635)522210.
Obituaries
Ray Pedley
RAY was born and educated in Leek, Staffordshire and became the first member of his family to gain entrance to university.
At King’s College, London, he took a degree in French which included a year’s sabbatical in Caen and Paris and inspired an enduring love of France and language.
His first headship was in Nottingham in the fifties, followed by one in Buxton, Derbyshire, a county of which he never tired.
He arrived at Park House School in 1962, and was immensely proud of the school, his colleagues and the pupils.
He was one of those lucky people who really loved the work he was doing, always striving to get the best out of the students in his care and remaining interested in their careers for the rest of his life. This was reciprocated by many former pupils who remained in touch with him, including one from his Buxton days who visited him each year.
He enjoyed many happy years and forged a great number of lasting friendships after becoming a member of Newbury Rotary Club, where he served as secretary, vice- president and president.
He had a very strong sense of integrity which he would not compromise. This meant that he did not suffer fools gladly but remained loyal to and fond of those for whom he had respect.
The loves of his life remained constant: friends, books, music, gardens, churches and his family most of all.
BP, JP and RBP
One of Ray’s great qualities was his sense of loyalty: loyalty and great love for his family and friends, and loyalty to the values and standards of his youth and upbringing.
He was not a stern man, in fact his sense of fun and his innate wit made him good company but his attitude was unbending when the temptation might have been to compromise his principles.
His love of music was also something that came from his early life. Elgar’s ‘Dream of Gerontius’, Gilbert and Sullivan’s operettas and Wagner’s operas were all heard by him and remembered from his young days.
One of his favourite reminiscences was going to London as a young man to buy his first car.
Instead, he queued to buy a standing- room ticket for his first hearing of ‘The Valkyrie’ at Covent Garden.
He had always enjoyed Schubert’s music: his symphonies, his chamber music and of course his songs. They to him were Heaven.
CH