May, Richard

OT931 - North

Date of Death: 22/05/2020

Richard May OT 931 died in May 2020 but due to the pandemic a memorial service to celebrate his life was held over until 14th May 2022 (what would have been his 69th Birthday).

Held under glorious sunshine in Godstone at the beautiful S. Nicholas church, very close to his home for most of his life, the church was packed with over 100 relatives and friends. We heard what a kind, thoughtful and unflappable man he was. He had a love of nature, especially for birds (hence a swift on the ‘Order of Service’), and we were told he once pulled almost 30 ticks out of a Hedgehog.

After Ottershaw, he did a series of odd jobs to earn money and was soon embarking on hiking adventures to the likes of India and Singapore. Settling down a bit, he read ‘Marine Biology’ at Birmingham Aston University and had a 3-year spell as a teacher, a role at which he excelled. However, he decided teaching wasn’t for him and he became a master roofer for the rest of his life; he even fixed the roof of St. Nicholas church. Many recalled his excellence on the games field, particularly his love of tennis and Guy Tarring (OT 940) a lifelong school friend of Richard, entertained the congregation with his memories though ruefully noting that Richard always beat him at tennis. Malcolm Alison (OT 742), Guy Tarring (OT 940) and John Young (OT 934) attended the memorial service. 

The order of service and speeches and recollections are available from here.