of her children (son Clive died seven years ago), five grandchil- dren and six great-grandchil- dren.


Barbara Roebuck BARBARA Irene Roebuck (87) lived for 61 years in Shepway, and was for- merly a resi- dent in Bower Place, Maid- stone. Born Barbara


Stone in Lon- don,


she


moved locally asayoung woman and had been in theATS and worked in a furniture shop before marrying husband Don- ald. Donald was away in the Army and Barbara raised chil- dren John and Diana. Diana said: “My mum was known for her witty sense of hu- mour and will-power. She was very feisty and independent minded. She worked in a range of jobs locally, including time at the Granada Cinema in Lower Stone Street, in Woolworths, as an industrial nurse at Reed’s paper mill and a job in the can- teen at Mid-Kent College in Maidstone. “She also did a lot of other


things locally including mem- bership of St John’s Ambulance, attending the Salvation Army twice aweek as well as sequence, ballroom and line dancing. She baked and grew flowers. “She took swimming lessons in


her 70s and learned to drive at 75, when my father became too ill to do it and needed to be fer- ried around. Her father had left her family when she was young and in 1985 she made contact with six half-siblings in Devon.” Barbara was widowed in 2003;


she leaves her children, grand- daughter Nichola and great grandchildren Ryan, Holly and Emily.


Ian Saunders IAN Saunders (51) lived in the Tonbridge Road area for most of his life and – for the last 22 years – was mainly resident on Ton- bridge Road itself, in a home he shared with partner, Dan. Ian grew up in Maidstone and


did office work for employers including Nestle, British Gas, the Post Office and the local NHS Primary Care Trust. He met Dan Murch in a local pub in 1990 and the couple had been together ever since. Dan said: “Ian enjoyed tend-


ing his garden and allotment and was renowned locally and at work for his excess fruit and vegetables, which he either gave away or made into pickles, jams, chutneys, preserves etc before then giving them away. “Hewas also an avid reader and


quite keen on sea/beach fishing and just generally visiting friends, coastal resorts, parkland and Na- tional Trust and English Heritage gardens – as long as the dog was allowed too!


“Ian loved his home life, he


was a very contented person. We became civil partners earlier this year, a commitment that showed we were together for good times and bad.” Ian leaves Dan, his father, one brother and two sisters.


Michael Foreman THE death of Michael Foreman (81), of The Street, Ulcombe, made local headlines. The local farmer made a mas-


sive contribution to the agricul- tural life of Kent. During his 52-year marriage to Susan, he lived in Headcorn until just under a decade ago when the couple moved to Ulcombe. His involvement in organisa-


tions promoting farming inter- ests included being a master of the Worshipful Company of Farmers from 1994 to 1995, a position on the National Coun- cil of the CornMerchants Trade Association and work with the Kent County Agricultural Soci- ety (KCAS). He held the post of honorary director and honorary financial director with KCAS from 1992 to 2005. Former col- leagues have praised his accom- plishments and character. Michael leaves his wife, chil-


dren Tracey and Charles and grandchildren Oscar, Rosie, Jack, Harry and Katie.


Henry Town HENRY Town, who died just short of his 90th birthday, spent 85 years of his life in the same house in Grafty Green. Born two miles from the vil-


lage, he moved there as a boy and left in his final years to live in a care home.Heworked locally for Foreman’s corn merchants of Headcorn. He lived with his par- ents until their death and then continued living locally. Henry’s friend, Rob Eastwood,


who runs Grafty Green Post Of- fice and Stores, said: “Henry was well-known and well-liked lo- cally. He was easy-going and very content with his life. He was often the first customer in the shop after we opened; he would buy things day-by-day and come in to chat. He was the kind of person who never asked for help butwas grateful when people did things for him.”


Penny Stubbs PENNYStubbs (80) of The Street, Bethersden, made a significant contribution to Kent life, serving as Deputy Lieutenant of the county, chair of the Kent Police Authority and a magistrate. Her MBE – awarded in 2002 –


was given for her public service work. A resident in Bethersden for 50 years, she was also known throughout her local community, where she and husband Timhad hosted an annual garden party for St Margaret’s Church. Prior to becoming a mother to


sons Toby and Philip she had worked in the print industry, serving as secretary to the deputy editor of the Daily Telegraph.


Her court work took Penny to


the Ashford bench and her 36 years of service there made her one of the country’s longest serv- ing magistrates. She chaired the juvenile bench for six years. This service led to her working for Kent PoliceAuthority where she chaired the organisation for three years, between 1998 and 2001. Penny was also very active in Bethersden life where she had been a school governor and churchwarden. Tributes have come from peo-


ple in all the areas in which Penny served. Penny leaves her husband, sons and grandchil- dren Charlotte, Freddy, Angus, Aaraminta andWilliam.


Jim Hall JIM Hall (67), who has died in Portugal, was a jazz drummer who lived and worked in the UK, Paris and Portugal. He left Maidstone Grammar School and began a ca- reer at Reed’s Paper Mill, Tovil, where he was being groomed for man- agement, but his love of jazz led to him forging a new career. Jim’s friend Bennie Symonds


said: “Jim was an articulate, ele- gant and intelligent man; a natu- ral musician and a real bohemian.” Jim got married and was fa-


ther to Elizabeth, Alison and Roman. His talents also in- cluded photography (in which he had a degree from Maidstone College of Art) and cricket. He played as a wicket keeper for Linton Park Cricket Club for many years. Wherever he lived, he contin-


ued to return to Maidstone and stay with his mother near the cricket ground. Jim leaves his mother, sister, children and grandchildren.


Chris Chappell CHRISTOPHER “Chris” Chap- pell (89) spent the final 23 years of his life in Tovil Mill, moving lo- cally after re- tiring from a career in car- pentry. Born and


raised in Croy- don, he was initially self-employed, working for one employer converting houses in London into bedsits and accommodation for nurses. Chris was the youngest of eight children. During the war his service took him across Europe, through France and into Ger- many. He was involved in the D- Day landings, and lost one of his brothers in the conflict. Chris was father to Eric, Ray- mond, Christopher, Gary, Tracey and Cherie. His wife Jean said: “Chris loved animals, we kept


rabbits for the children, and he enjoyed gardening. He was a quiet and homely man.” Chris was the last survivor of


the eight children in his family. He leaves his wife, children, 17 grandchildren and eight great- grandchildren.


Rhys ‘Doug’ Evans RHYS Douglas “Doug” Evans (86) lived in Staplehurst for 48 years. Born and raised inWales, he moved in his youth from near Swansea to Bridgend, at- tending grammar school there. Doug trained as a teacher, and


did National Service for two years. He beganwork in London for United Press International, spending over 20 years with the company and serving as a sen- ior accountant. His work took him abroad many times before he movedtoworkinmanage- ment for Novello Music Pub- lishing in Borough Green. Doug was married for 56 years


to Doreen and was father to Hi- lary,Angela and Janette. Doreen Evans said: “Doug was a really popular person and would talk to anyone. He was always help- ing people and was always busy; after retirement he volun- teered to work in the Heart of Kent Hospice Shop in Staple- hurst and stayed there for five years. “He did voluntary driving and


lots of jobs for people. He played the organ and entertained peo- ple, including the local nuns. Doug took part in a concert in 2009 at a packed Hazlitt Theatre, performing with other blind and partially-sighted people in a tal- ent contest event called Unseen Talents; despite being in his 80s he sang well enough to come third.” Doug leaves his wife, daugh-


ters, 10 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.


Play boosts


church funds OTHAM and Langley Churches stand to benefit from when the Willington Players perform Alan Ayck- bourn’s much-loved comedy Round and Round the Gar- den at The Hazlitt Theatre from November 13 to 17. Church member Margaret MacIntyre said: “I am de- lighted that we are raising money in this way with The Willington Players. It’s won- derful to have a night out at the theatre when we can all laugh so much and raise funds at the same time.” For any tickets purchased


from church member Scott Raffle for the performance on Thursday, November 15, half the value of the ticket will go to church funds. Call Scott on 01622 863089. Tickets for the other per- formances can be purchased from the box office on 01622 758611.


Have you got news for us? Phone our News Desk on 01622 734735 South 35


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