Edward Stenton passed away quietly in the afternoon Monday the 10th of September 2012
Edward never came to terms with the loss of his wife Joan in 2011 . His memory had not been too good over the last few years. Her loss was something that he took very badly. He suffered sadly from forgetting her death and then reliving it all over again. In this respect although his death was very sad in the end both Rachel and John felt in truth that it was a merciful release for him.
Edward (Ted) was a grand man he had been separated from Joan just after they were married, for nearly 5 years. He spent, as they used to say in those days, “his war” out in the middle east. He was due to then be shipped to far east for the war in Japan, luckily for him, the dropping of the atomic bomb saved him from that fate.
It is a curio that a man with 2 phamcitical degrees ( MPS and FPS), and a fully qualified radiologist should be only a sergeant, while someone in charge of food will be an officer!
Returning home after the war they spent some time working in Bristol for a larger pharmacists company. They always said that is was one of their happiest times. Ted did not really want to work in a shop but financial reasons made it a necessity. He had taken his second pharmacological degree before joining the army and would very much have liked to have taken his last one, so that he could have gone on to work in research. Unfortunately this was never to prove possible and so he ended up in a shop where although successful, he hated.
Soon they would be pulled back to 45 Bell street where his father an unqualified Chemist was then very ill. For the next few years they would work together in an unhappybe alliance until his own fathers death. He and his hair dressing brother continued to work there until compulsory purchase for development by the council rendered the business worthless.
Edward and Joan Moved the 30 Scraptoft lane in 1963 and remained there while Ted worked for the Co-Op until 1968, when they moved and brought a business at 88 Newport Road Barnstaple.
It would be ironical that yet again the local council should make this far less profitable, and again unsellable again, by changing the road system, and parking restrictions, which would remain in place until a few years after he had turned the business back into a private house.
In 1980 Edward retired at the age of 60. Ten years later he hung up his certificate to practice which he had held for nearly 50 years. Ted and Joan moved then to 45 Liddicleave Bickington where they stayed together until Joan’s death in 2011.
Edward was kind and gentle man as well as being a Gentleman. He valued good manners above almost all things. It was a cruel irony that his illness should have robbed him of this that he valued so much.
The last year of is life was very difficult for him because he also valued his independence, which again, not just because of his age, but because of his failing memory made it increasingly difficult for him to cope, in world which he found more and more difficult to understand.
Ted would help anyone that was in trouble, and many an evening was interrupted by the ringing of the shop bell. He always said it was for the money, but that was one of those very few untruths that he would frequently tell.
He enjoyed sailing, photography, art, literature, painting, and paintings, Musical comedy, Classical music, as well as comedy on television. He loved reading, and would frequently be heard to say, “if a book is worth reading once, then it is worth reading twice”.
He was extremely good with his hands and did most of the repair work around his properties for many years. He was good at decorating, wood work, metal work, gardening as well as cooking. His greatest love and life time ambition was playing and listening to music. He could play the Piano and the Violin, as well we are told as the saxophone. But his one cherished instrument of course was the electronic organ. He purchased and sold many of them over the years, having his leg pulled on many occasions. He did not seem to mind and even seemed to enjoy the strange notoriety of it.He also owned and could play two different mouth organs.
On top of all these skills he started to teach himself computer skills when in his 70’s. It was only towards the end of his life that technology would ever start to defeat him. This was a terrible thing to have to watch, of a man that nothing before had ever seemed difficult.
He would sit and talk for hours about the past the present and the future on almost any topic. Even certain sports he enjoyed. He would, he said enjoy watching someone do almost anything well.
He enjoyed playing games, but never for money, only for the entrainment of playing them, win or lose did not matter. Although in his youth he had been darts champion of the Sargent’s mess as well as an accomplished billiards player.
Although having moved to North Devon for Joan’s health, he more proffered the countryside, and would enjoy driving and walking acrossExmoor.
Last of all at the age of 63 he started hiring narrow boats on the canals. Heenjoyed the peace and quiet, and the slow pace of travelling through the countryside, and the return to the counties of his birth. He would either steer or operate the locks, jumping across the lock gates from side to the other like a lad half his age. Telling stories of how be would cycle all around Blaby, Wigston Magna, and the rest of the Leicestershire countryside.
He will be most missed for his sense of humour which at times knew no bounds, but like him required no noise to show his pleasure.
He was just the most perfect quiet Gentleman.