Stan & Edna Parkes

from the October 2002 Parish Magazine

Stan Parkes, who died at Denmead, near Portsmouth at the end of August, was in his early nineties and a long time resident of Leatherhead. He was a faithful supporter of the church and a member of the parish church choir for many years. His working life was spent in the Planning Department of the Leatherhead Urban District Council but besides this he gave much service to the community in connection with the welfare of elderly people. He belonged to Leatherhead Bowling Club and also to Leatherhead Choral Society. He sang in the Leith Hill Music Festival and in Bach's St Matthew Passion at Dorking for many years. Stan and George Dench were great friends, working together for LEPRA, in particular dealing with the annual emptying of collection boxes and banking the money and were always on the door at church functions. Stan did the major work of listing all of the graves in the churchyard.

After the death of his wife, Edna, some years ago, Stan moved from his house in Reigate Road to a flat in Windfield, moving again in his latter years to a retirement home in Denmead near to his son Richard and family. Here he was able to continue his hobbies of stamp collecting and researching into his family's history. George Dench kept in constant touch with him, passing news of him on to his friends here.

Stan was a true gentleman - a quiet, unassuming man who treated everybody alike - always ready to lend a helping hand. May he rest in peace and rise in glory.