We mourn the passing of W. Bro. Eric Spencer P.P.S.G.W. on Friday 23rd July in his 75th year. He found his perfect niche as the Dale Abbey Almoner for over 20 years. With a combination of compassion, empathy and assiduity in his role as Almoner, he was second to none. We miss him greatly.

The funeral service was held at Bramcote Crematorium on Friday 30th July  followed by a service of Thanksgiving at St Andrew's Methodist Church, Wilmot Street, Ilkeston.

W. Bro. James Wallace Wright P.P.J.G.W. passed away suddenly on Friday 6th June 2003 in his 74th year. He was the Worshipful Master of Dale Abbey Lodge in 1980.

The funeral service was held on Thursday 19th June 2003 at St Michael's Church, Breaston.

Last year we suffered the loss of the senior member of this Lodge, W. Bro Frederick Arthur Eric Wright.

He was born 4th December 1918, initiated into Freemasonry and the Dale Abbey Lodge on 26th April 1954, raised 1956 and installed in the Chair 33 years ago, in 1969. His last full ceremony before he installed his successor, after proposing me, was to initiate me. He was an excellent Mason, a Gentleman believing in the saying "Manners maketh Man", and always showing the highest courtesy to everyone. He was a man of great determination, courage and strength of character, one example being his early morning struggles, walking from his home past the Ilkeston hospital, up the hills of Bath Street and Kirk Hallam, a distance of at least two and a half miles, to attend church service. With his physical disability that was a great effort! Another example was his determination about eight years ago, when he journeyed by himself to visit the war graves in France, and more recently, 2 years ago to attend a special service to honour the War dead, in Westminster Abbey, from the Brambles Retirement Home in West Hallam, his last home.

It was about 12 years ago when he sustained an injury which caused one leg to be shorter than the other, and that period of hospitalisation caused him to break his record of never missing a Lodge meeting for 36 years. Another feat he accomplished, bearing in mind that he never drove a car, was during his year as Master, he visited every Lodge in the Province, sometimes with the help of other Brethren, but many times on his bike.

I regularly visited him and he always wanted to know about the Lodge and its members in the last 2 years when he found it too difficult to attend. We will miss him.

E.A.S.

Postscript

As webmaster of this site, I was struck by Eric's understanding of the modern world's dependence on communication, despite knowing nothing about computers, and by his foresight and encouragement in his sponsorship for this site when it was first set up.

Gill Riley