downsmail.co.uk Dave Sargeant


MAIDSTONE Borough Councillor Dave Sargeant (77) has died suddenly. The UKIP member ofWestmoreland


Road, Shepway, passed away at Maidstone Hospital on May 13. Cllr Sargeantwas awell-liked and admired man, not least by council colleagues. FranWilson, leader


of the borough council, said: “Cllr Sargeantwas passionate about the people and communities he represented andwas


a hard-working and enthusiastic member of the council.” Fellow UKIP councillor Eddie Powell


said: “Hewas a quite amazing person. Iwas blown away by the number of people whose lives he touched.” Lib Dem councillor Dave Naghi said: “He


was one of the most genuine and nicest men you could wish to meet.” Cllr Sargeantwas elected in May 2014 to


the council as one of two members for Shepway south and served diligently on several commiees. It is understood in Maidstone political


circles that hewas considering contesting a local division of Kent County Council at the KCC elections next year. Yorkshire-born Cllr Sargeant had the distinction of being the first-ever UKIP member of the borough council andwas also the leader of the UKIP group. Akeen follower of sport, hewas a fine footballer and cricketer in his youth. He played for SheffieldWednesday’s junior team and represented Yorkshire cricket at youth level. Cllr Sargeantwas an active member of the


Vine Church in Maidstone,well known for greeting worshippers at the door and for his good singing voice. Although retired, Cllr Sargeantwas far


from idle. Family, local politics, UKIP activities and the church took up a lot of his spare time. But he also had a passion for photography, birdwatching and writing poetry. He is survived by his wife June, daughters


Ruth and Heather and his grandchildren Megan and James.


Claude Greenstreet


CLAUDE Greenstreet (99) lived for 70 years on the Mote Park estate and died a few months short of his 100th birthday and 70th wedding anniversary. Claude moved locally as a teenager and


showed engineering skill from his early years by building a factory from Meccano. He studied engineering whilst serving in the Royal Navy, servicingwar planes and seeing service on two different aircraft carriers.


Returning to Maidstone after de-mob, Claude spent most of his working life with Len Cabinet Makers. He faced redundancy when the company closed, but found work with Ozonaire engineering materials for


aircraft. Claudewas married for 69 years to Irene and father to Carol and Michael. Carol said: “My fatherwas always busy.


He drove until hewas 93 and last dug over his whole garden when hewas 97. “He grew all kinds of vegetables and that


may have helped him live to be 99. He supplied lots of the neighbours and our family with firewood, taking the spare offcuts from Len Cabinet Makers home on his bike. “He will be remembered as a live-wire


who always had something to say and a person who could have a laugh with anybody. When hewas asked what medication hewas on he’d usually say ‘I take an Aspirin if I have a headache but that’s it.’ He helped out lots of people.” Claude leaves his wife and his daughter. His son pre-deceased him.


Ray Edwards THE death has been announced of Ray Edwards (66), who lived in Leybourne for 32 years andwas known for his 25-year involvement with the Kent Messenger newspaper group. Raywas most recently a local corre- spondent for Leybourne andWest Malling. His previous work for the group included contributions for its What’s On section. Born inWandsworth, Ray moved to


Welling as a boy and suffered with TB, which left him in hospital for two years.At 15, he became a messenger boy for the London based Extel operation butwas soon invited to join their sports department, distributing information to being offices up and down the UK and aending many sporting events. He also met the Queen Mother on one occasion. Ray joined the Kent Messenger as a typeseer but his knowledge of sports and his other skills soon won him work as a journalist. Ray leaves sisters Debbie and Jean and brother David.


Rt Reverend Richard Third


THE Right Reverend Richard Third (89) served as Bishop of Maidstone from 1976 to 1980. He had a lengthy career within the Church of England that also saw him serve as vicar of Sheerness from 1959 to 1967 and vicar of Orpington. Known to many as “Dick”, the married


father of two retired to Somerset but kept on working within the diocese of Bath and Wells, where he ministered as an assistant bishop. The Diocese of Canterbury praised the Rt


Rev Third as a man who “although small of stature had a big heart” and noted the “care and sensitivity” that marked his ministry. Amongst a range of roles the former


bishop carried out within the church, he served as chaplain to the Queen Mother in her role as LordWarden of the Cinque Ports. It has been reported that when he told the Queen Mother of his intention to stand down from this role she told him that if she could continue working at her age, then so could he. After this, Rt Rev Third did decide to continue. He as an alumnus of Cambridge


University and Lincoln Theological College and a former cox of the Cambridge Rowing Team. His funeral took place in Edinburgh.


Nigel Knights


THE search for Nigel Knights (63)was widely reported before the grandfather’s bodywas found in the River Medway in Strood. Nigel worked at Holmesdale School and


at the Barnardo’s charity shop in Maid- stone. Hewas reported missing after being seenwalking near the river nine days before his bodywas found. A Facebook community called Findnigelknights was established to help in the search and after


the bodywas discovered a message on the page stated: “The family of Nigel Knights wish to thank you all for every bit of support and help you've given them in the last nine days…we hope you can respect our request for privacy at this upseing time.”


Nigel, who lived in Lanzarote, leaves his wife Sue, children and grandchildren.


Jackie Read FORMER Maidstone resident Jackie Read (54)was killed in a skiing accident in Flaine, France, where she had worked for two years. She suffered fatal injuries when shewas


hit by a snow-boarder. Jackie’s partner Barry Philpo – whowas


due to marry her inAustralia in September – has spoken of the loss of his “soul-mate”. The couple lived on Sheppey before moving to Flaine to manage catered chalets on behalf of the Ski Club of Great Britain. Originally from Yorkshire, Jackie met Barry in Tenerife. They had been together for 15 years.


Jackie leaves Barry, her five children and


one grandchild. Her funeral took place at Vinters Park crematorium.


Tony Hyde


PC Tony Hyde (64) covered the Farleighs when Kent Police allocated policemen to the rural parishes andwas very popular. After retirement, he moved abroad and


was subsequently diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. He is survived by wife Jackie, daughter Charloe, mother Joan and sister Joanne.


The Stone Shop


Memorials. Any natural stone supplied, lettered and installed anywhere.


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The Stone Shop Station Hill, East Farleigh, Kent.


01622 726633 There is no charge for our obituary service. Call Neil Nixon on 01622 630422 or email nlnxn@aol.com 36 Maidstone South June 2016


Obituaries


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