Heather Langley HEATHER Langley (52), who lived in the same house in Bearsted from birth, was elected to serve the ward on Maidstone Council last May. Educated at Maidstone Grammar School for Girls, Heather spent much of her working life in retail and was well-known locally for the time she spent working in Wine Rack and, latterly, Bearsted News in Ashford Road. Her election as a Conservative


to the borough council was noteworthy as she unseated long-serving Independent Pat Marshall. Heather’s other local work in- cluded active support of the StopKIG campaign and time as treasurer of the Bearsted & Thurnham Society, which she had also chaired from 2002-05. Her friend Graham Norton, ex-chairman of the society and former chairman of Bearsted Parish Council, said: “Heather was a very quiet and unassum- ing character, dedicated, kind and very intelligent. “She was brilliant at quizzes, usually knowing the answers to the many charity quizzeswe at- tended. She was proud of her election victory but unfortu- natelywas diagnosed with can- cer soon after winning. She faced the illness with real courage. She loved Bearsted to the core and cared deeply about the life and people of Bearsted.”


Brian Morling BRIAN Morling (76) was a sen- ior partner in Morling’s solici- tors, based in King Street, Maidstone. His family moved to Maid-


stone during his boyhood and after education at King’s Col- lege, Rochester, Brian and his brother Michael both followed their father into the family law firm. Brian continued to prac- tise until this year. Away from his legal work he


We will remember


had a brief motor racing career in the 1960s and was a noted rugby player for Maidstone where his pace and skill on the wing made him a fixture in the first team for several years. He went on to serve the club as vice- president. His sporting interests extended to yachting, cycling and skiing (which he continued into his 70s). He held membership of a


number of clubs, including Bearsted Golf Club, the Maid- stone Club and the Lions Club. Brian leaves his widow


Lizzie and two sons, Russell and Antony, who described their father as “a kind, thought- ful and wonderful gentleman, who will be sorely missed by both family and friends”.


Leonard Reeves LEONARD ‘Len’ Reeves (82) of Loose, lived locally his whole life and worked for more than 50 years in the family newsagent’s business at 35 San- dling Road. He started work as a young


boy in 1940, worked full-time on leaving school and only took a break for Na- tional Service. He retired as a proprietor in 1993.


Having lived


in Mangravet, he settled in Loose with


wife Brenda ‘Bren’ in 1978. The couple raised children Trevor, Christine, Tony, Tricia and Michelle.


Christine said: “The shop


was very successful. At that time the Sandling Road was the main road to the Medway Towns and there was a lot of business from the barracks and Kent County Council’s site at Springfield. My father worked hard and the shop also doubled as a social life, he knew lots of


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people through his work.” Len retired to look after Bren


when she became ill and son Trevor took over the shop, but it eventually closed after KCC moved and the barracks shut. Christine said: “My mother


died in 1994, and my father spent a lot of time gardening and visiting the rest of the fam- ily.”


Len leaves his children, 13 grandchildren and seven great- grandchildren.


Sharon Day SHARON Day (48), who lived for the last nine years in Ash- ford Road, Maidstone, worked for 30 years for the NHS as a distribution manager based in ParkWood. Born Sharon Fitzpatrick in Paddock Wood, she and Chris, husband of 30 years, raised chil- dren, Kirstie and Christo- pher.


Chris said: “Sharon loved


homely things, going caravan- ning and walking her dogs in the Woodland Trust reserve at Bearsted. Even when she was diagnosed with cancer she just got on with things, in the end we had to pay for treatment and our friends and family were wonderful in helping with fundraising events.” Sharon leaves her widower, children and grandson Kurtis.


Ivy Grace Crow IVY GRACE Crow (97) lived in Egremont Road, Bearsted, for 40 years. She and husband Fred had moved locally to be near daughter Gloria.


Born in Lon-


don’s East End, Ivy Grace (nee Hall) had raised Gloria and developed formidable skills in sales while working


for a range of retailers including Mothercare. Confident in her own ability


to sell, she established a bou- tique near Ilford, named Fred- erick’s after her husband. Ivy Grace took charge of buying, setting window displays and selling. Gloria helped by run- ning the shop when Ivy Grace was sourcing stock. Gloria said: “She knew her


own mind and was very strong willed. The business did very well. My mother had a gift for fashion and understanding how to make the most of an appear- ance. “I still have a maxi-coat she knitted for me, which draws a lot of attention. She had a range of talents, she had been an ex-


To contact Downs Mail just phone 01622 630330


cellent ballroom dancer, got on well with people and enjoyed going to the club on Sutton Road where she bowled.” Widowed in 1999, Ivy Grace continued to live independ- ently until her death. She leaves her daughter, two grand- daughters and four great-grand- sons.


Roy Lund ROY Lund (84), of Hartridge Farm, East Farleigh, had lived in the area for 22 years, having moved with wife, Alice, from Shaftesbury Drive, Maidstone. The couple lived locally for a


total of 40 years, after engineer Roy came to the area to work in the aerospace industry in the Medway Towns. He went on to self-employ-


ment, producing drawings and doing work for a range of local companies. Roy was born in New Zealand, and came to the UK with his British parents at the age of five. He grew up in Man- chester and, after marrying in the late 1950s, moved to Da- genham before settling in Kent. Father to Carol, Christopher


and David, Roy was a life mem- ber of Bearsted Golf Club and Farleigh Club and bowled at Penenden Heath. Roy produced the drawings


for the Farleigh Club, formerly known as the “tin shed. His widow Alice said: “He


was a hard-working man who cared about respect and getting things right; a real gentleman in the old fashioned sense with a strong sense of right and wrong.” Roy leaves his widow, chil-


dren, five grandchildren and one great-grandchild.


Peter Young PETER Young (59) was well known around Allington for 34 years. He loved to help and support people and became a Samaritan. When his youngest son Ian


was growing up, Pete stood on the sidelines of football pitches, or pottering around in the garage with his older son Simon. His wife Gill was his soul-


mate and he loved going on cruises with her. Pete leaves his widow; his


sons and daughter plus their partners; his grandchildren; and mum Joan.


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