 | The Rotary Club of Maidenhead has paid tribute to a ‘true gentleman’ following the death of Ted Roffey, a member for 37 years and a stalwart of the club. He died following a long struggle with ill health on Friday, July 17, at Wexham Park Hospital, Slough. He was 87. Club president Mary Spinks said: “It is with sadness that I learned of Ted’s death. He was a long-serving member of our club who contributed a great deal over the years. He managed to come to our weekly meetings up to lockdown in spite of his health problems. He was a true gentleman and I will miss his ready smile.” |
Ted, whose father was in the Royal Navy, was born in the military hospital at Chatham in Kent. He grew up in nearby Wigmore and attended the Gillingham Grammar School. He won a scholarship to the London School of Economics where he studied economic geography and was later to also complete an MA. While at the LSE he met Carol, a fellow student who would become his wife of nearly 60 years.
Ted completed his national service as an officer in the Royal Artillery and remained in uniform as a captain in the Territorial Army for another 10 years.
He began a civil service career as a tax inspector, a job Carol recalls he hated, before moving into local government in London. But he was later to rejoin the civil service, working with Government minister Michael Heseltine on Britain’s entry into the EU before moving to the Department of the Environment as a planning inspector. This was a role he loved and Ted remained a planning inspector until he was 73, working on many high profile projects including the regeneration of Exeter.
Ted married Carol in 1961 and the couple, who had previously lived in Datchet, moved to Maidenhead in 1970.
Ted joined Rotary in April 1983, and his background as a planning inspector showed in his quiet, thorough approach to the responsibilities he undertook during his 37 years as a member of the club.
He served five years as secretary and 11 years as assistant secretary. He also did stalwart work in the administration of the Boundary Walk for many years.
Outside of Rotary the couple loved to travel. Carol worked in HR for ICI, a job which took her around the world, and Ted would travel with her when possible. They also enjoyed dining out and were founder members of the Berkshire Branch of the International Wine and Food Society. “The thing Ted would enjoy most of all was a good meal at the Waterside,” recalled Carol.
Ted also loved gardening and was a keen allotment keeper and a member of the Royal Horticultural Society. He enjoyed bird-watching and was a member of the Maidenhead branch of the RSPB. He also had a lifelong passion for steam trains.
Carol described her husband as a caring and modest man who did not seek the limelight. She said: “He was a very gentle person. He was very intelligent but did not like to argue with people – but if he thought you were wrong you would not move him. He was a great companion and always supportive of others.”
Rotarian Mike Holness added: “I had the pleasure of working closely with Ted, when I was secretary and in my year as president, and I counted him among my particular friends. I will miss his quiet humour and careful advice.”
Ted completed his national service as an officer in the Royal Artillery and remained in uniform as a captain in the Territorial Army for another 10 years.
He began a civil service career as a tax inspector, a job Carol recalls he hated, before moving into local government in London. But he was later to rejoin the civil service, working with Government minister Michael Heseltine on Britain’s entry into the EU before moving to the Department of the Environment as a planning inspector. This was a role he loved and Ted remained a planning inspector until he was 73, working on many high profile projects including the regeneration of Exeter.
Ted married Carol in 1961 and the couple, who had previously lived in Datchet, moved to Maidenhead in 1970.
Ted joined Rotary in April 1983, and his background as a planning inspector showed in his quiet, thorough approach to the responsibilities he undertook during his 37 years as a member of the club.
He served five years as secretary and 11 years as assistant secretary. He also did stalwart work in the administration of the Boundary Walk for many years.
Outside of Rotary the couple loved to travel. Carol worked in HR for ICI, a job which took her around the world, and Ted would travel with her when possible. They also enjoyed dining out and were founder members of the Berkshire Branch of the International Wine and Food Society. “The thing Ted would enjoy most of all was a good meal at the Waterside,” recalled Carol.
Ted also loved gardening and was a keen allotment keeper and a member of the Royal Horticultural Society. He enjoyed bird-watching and was a member of the Maidenhead branch of the RSPB. He also had a lifelong passion for steam trains.
Carol described her husband as a caring and modest man who did not seek the limelight. She said: “He was a very gentle person. He was very intelligent but did not like to argue with people – but if he thought you were wrong you would not move him. He was a great companion and always supportive of others.”
Rotarian Mike Holness added: “I had the pleasure of working closely with Ted, when I was secretary and in my year as president, and I counted him among my particular friends. I will miss his quiet humour and careful advice.”