|John Geddes
John Geddes was a Foxearth resident from 2009 and his death on 7th February 2020 will have been received with great sadness by his family and his many friends in the village and beyond. He was a strong supporter of community life and his career as an accountant clearly fitted him for the voluntary "treasurer" roles that seem to appear once one retires. In this capacity he served the Cavendish Bowls Club, the Foxearth and District History Society, the Foxearth Parochial Church Council and the Sudbury Grammar School Old Boys Association - and there may well have been others. Each of these connections led to what John described as rewarding new friendships. He was a really friendly chap. Apart from giving freely of his financial knowhow John contributed to village life by doing local research -writing it up for the Parish News - and organising quizzes. If there was a coffee morning John would be there taking the opportunity to chat in French or Dutch to a couple of other residents whose mother tongue was not English. He had put his many years of work in Europe to good use!
John made no secret of his atheism and his allegiance to Foxearth church was perhaps surprising but also very touching. He revered the church as a village asset that had brought comfort to generations over the centuries and which must be preserved. His contributions to discussions on the maintenance of the fabric were informed and helpful and the strangeness of Diocesan accounting systems presented no problem for him. Occasionally he would attend a service and indeed once asked for a hymn, for a Songs of Praise, that reminded him of schooldays.
For almost the last two years John suffered increasing pain necessitating major operations, debilitating chemo and radiotherapy, having to abandon driving and coping with reduced sight that affected his passion for reading. His eventual reliance of morphine as pain relief meant that he could no longer enjoy his fondness for single malts of which he was a connoisseur. In happier times we shared some memorable tasting experiences! Several months ago John wrote what he called "a little of my own obituary!" Perhaps he would be amused at a possible new word "autobituary" to describe this unusual process. In this he wrote frankly and bravely about his incurable cancer and reflected upon his life, his work and travels, the many dear friends he would be so sorry to leave and his pleasure at returning to the Stour Valley of his birth. His devotion for and pride in his family was obvious and to them we offer our sincerest condolences. We have lost a true friend who we will remember with affection.
John's funeral will take place in the St Edmunds Chapel at the West Suffolk Crematorium, Bury St Edmunds at 12 noon on Monday 2nd March - and afterwards at the Rushbrooke Arms, Sicklesmere.
Ken Nice