downsmail.co.uk Alfred Saunders


ALFRED Saunders (72) lived in Mangravet for three years and had previously spent six and a half years in York Road and another year in Park Wood. A lifelong member of the travelling community, Alfred had lived and worked throughout England taking jobs including agricultural field work, tree-topping and landscape gardening. He was father to 10 children. Partner Caroline said: “Alfred was happy, cheerful and always up for a laugh. He had a major travellers’ funeral with a few hundred people in aendance and lots of funeral cars.” Alfred leaves his partner, children and 20 grandchildren.


Frank Tilley


FRANK Tilley (88) of Fant Lane, Fant was born in Milton Street and lived locally all his life apart from two years in the Army. He was widely known from his years running FWTilley Motors in Upper Fant Road. He learnt the skills for running the family business from his father and also in the Army, and spent his working life involved in the motor trade. Frank was also a pilot, holding his own private licence and flying from Rochester. He was father to Sue, Jane, Christopher,


Nick, Kevin and Caroline. His wife Brenda said: “Frank was a loving husband and father and a very positive person who would set out to solve problems and be really encouraging to his family. “He could mend anything, including working on his aircraft, and he took readily to using computers. Frank was also active in the Royal Observer Corps and, after the corps disbanded, in the Royal Observer Corps Association. Lots of people will miss him.” Frank leaves his wife, six children and 14 grandchildren aged from two to their 30s.


Ivor Craddock


IVOR Craddock (92) lived locally from 1964, initially moving to College Road, Maidstone and – for the past 40 years – living in Loose. Born in Coventry,


Ivor served as a Wellington bomber and glider pilot before undertaking accountancy training. After moving to various places in England he came to Maidstone to serve as


deputy borough treasurer, becoming borough treasurer in the local government reorganisation of 1974, a role he held until his retirement in 1987. Married to Joan for 65 years, Ivor was


father to Ian and Andrew. Joan said: “Ivor was an immensely capable man, well- organised and trustworthy. He always spoke his mind and showed a down-to- earth quality. “He was heavily involved in scouting,


using his accountancy skills to help local groups, especially the Tovil Scouts, to whom donations have beenmade in his memory. Ivor had a wonderful sense of humour and was lots of fun.” Ivor leaves his wife, sons, daughter-in-


law Susan, grandchildren Simon and Christopher, great-grandchildren Henry, George and Nancy and step great- granddaughter Emily.


May Bayley


MAY Gwendoline Bayley (72), who lived in Willington Street, Maidstone, and previously in Darenth Close, Shepway, spent her whole life living in the Maidstone area. Born May Brotherwood in Brunswick


Street, she worked for the Fremlin Brewery in its boling plant and subsequently worked for Graves as a packer of wine


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boles. She and husband Frank had two sets of twins: Maggie and Susan, and Caroline and Sharon. Her brother Les said: “May got on well with everyone, worked hard and was a very loving person.” May, who was widowed, leaves her four children, grandchildren and great- grandchildren.


“Spike” Collins


MAIDSTONE Model Engineering Society (MMES) devoted the money it collected by running trains in Mote Park on Easter Sunday to the memory of Arthur Patrick “Spike” Collins (78). It raised more than £400 for the Kent, Surrey and Sussex Air Ambulance. Spike was an engineer who served 13 years in the RAF, taking postings from all across the world. Born in Sidcup, he


seled in Maidstone with wife Sandie (who he married in 1970) and their twin daughters. Spike joined MMES in June 2012, running his own engine and was familiar to the many people who turned up for the public running rides on Sundays. Sue Parham, of MMES, said in the society’s obituary: “To his daughters he was ‘Daddy, fix it?’ He always shared his knowledge and skills, teaching his daughters practical things as they grew, including car repairs. He was sociable and loved steam rallies and had a lile boat on the River Medway.” Spike’s funeral was a typically informal


affair. He leaves his wife, daughters, five grandchildren and two great- grandchildren, with a third great-grandchild due in July.


Vera Rose


VERA Florence Mary Rose (92) lived in Hackney Road, Fant from 2006, and had worked locally as a young woman. Born Vera Hall in Strood, she worked in Featherstone’s department store in Earl Street, Maidstone, where she saw an advert for a manageress for the ladiesware department at Kingsway Stores (Unilever) in Lagos, Nigeria. Vera got the


job, and discovered she also had work in Accra, Ghana and Freetown, Sierra Leone. In Lagos she met Arthur Rose (a chief inspector with the Nigerian Railway


Serving the local community since 1985


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Obituaries


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