Andrew “Andy” “Scoff” Scoffin

“You can shed tears that he has gone or you can smile because he has lived, do what he would have wanted…”

Andy passed away peacefully at home surrounded by his loving family on 16th July 2021 aged 62 years.

Beloved Husband of Yvonne.  Dearest Son to Cynthia and Brian.  Much Loved Dad to Warren, Ashley and Step Dad to Johanna.  Also a Cherished Brother to Diane.

Andy will be so sadly missed & fondly remembered by all his family & many many friends.

His funeral took place on Friday 30th July 2021 at Crewe Crematorium Chapel at 2.45pm

The cortege will pause outside  Crewe Alex Stadium at approx 2.20pm

Kind Donations are being collected for Macmillan Cancer Support

For further information about Andy’s funeral, and to offer your condolences please telephone our Funeral Home on 01270 584447

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The celebration for the life of Andrew Scoffin was so well attended with the maximum
number of mo9urners in the chapel, the huge crowd listening outside and people
watching form different places via the webcast link. He was a much loved and
hugely popular man, incredibly pragmatic and having dealt with cancer twice in
eleven years, he was determined to have a cheerful funeral ceremony with
unadulterated laughter and no sadness to reflect his character. He joked with his
darling wife Yvonne and said that her would be well miffed if there wasn’t at least
200 people at his funeral.
He asked dear friends to be bearers and to tell some good stories which would have
everyone laughing. He was taken on his last journey past the Alex and the scooter
club riders did the honour of accompanying the funeral car, controlling all the traffic.
He loved going to the Scooter club and often posed for a picture on one but couldn’t
ride one, nor could he drive, the only four wheels he could ever be let loose in was
his pram! he had the patience of a nat and that’s on the generous side! There’s no
way he could be in charge of anything with an engine inside, he had too much road
rage!
The printer Claire Lowndes created a fantastic Order of Service in honour of Andy’s
lifelong passion for the Alex and the many years he was their Stadium Announcer.
Andy had so many special people in his life, his beloved wife Yvonne, dearest mum
and dad, Cynthia & Brian, much loved sons and step-kids, Warren, Ashley, Darren,
David, Dylan and Johanna, treasured grandchildren Abigail, Leon and Kodie,
cherished sister Diane, all members of his family and huge army of friends, it was
impossible to name everyone who were significant in his life.
Andrew The Legend
Andrew the Legend! The voice of Crewe; he was Mr Crewe to the core and proud of
it! Devastated when the wall was demolished, he told Yvonne – to everyone else it’s
just a wall, to me it’s much more; I worked behind that wall!
Cynthia and Brian welcomed Andrew into the world on 8 th March 1959, and his sister
Diane was younger.
At some point growing up in Crewe, he became Andy or Scoff, there may well have
been a few more choice names now and again but suffice it to say, he was born and
bred in Crewe, went to Ludford Street School and was always very popular!
After leaving school, he went straight to the works. One of the pubs he frequented
as a youngster was the Chetwood Arms and at the age of twenty-one, he was
extremely proud of pulling his first pint there. He even bought a load of memorabilia
when they closed down years later.
He met and married Karen and had their two boys Warren and Ashley.
Skipping forward a few years to the early nineties, he first saw Yvonne around
Christmas time in The Stilton Pub as it was called in those days but many of you
may know it as the Cheese Hall. Jo was with her mum, and she recalls her Ma had
had a bit of a dance with him. The following February Jo was celebrating her

seventeenth birthday at the Burton and she remembers they saw Andy again and he
commented that it was Warrens birthday too.
Then Yvonne and Andy got chatting and the rest is historic! He proposed to her at
the Camelot Suite when he was appearing with Crewe’s premier party band NSS
aka Sweet Sensations.

He called her up on stage and in front of the lively crowd, he asked her to marry him.
She didn’t even have to think about it!
By the time Yvonne met Andy he had progressed on the railway and was suited and
booted as a Railway Quality and Safety Engineer based in Birmingham – in other
words, he no longer got his hands dirty!
After they got together, Andy bought a house on Ruskin Road and they eventually
tied the knot on 31 st August 1996, so close to the church, Yvonne could have walked
but Andy organised a car, and so typical of Andy, he wasn’t tight – just being
carefull!! His mate Dave Cooke provided a very nice car- free of charge, working at
the Camelot, the room was free of charge, the flowers were mainly artificial, so they
could perhaps come in handy again and they even prepared their own buffet!
Almost twenty-five years, they would have won their silver medals this year, his for
keeping his wallet firmly closed and Yvonne for total endurance!
Andy was readily accepted by Yvonne’s family, and he was lovingly referred to as
Scoff or Joker! After living in Ruskin Road for five years, they moved to their forever
home in Dane Bank Avenue.
Andy did eventually manage to get a position at rail house which meant he didn’t
have to travel but then he moved to Shrewsbury and after being diagnosed with
cancer the first-time round, for various reasons he opted to retire from the railway.
Andy had many other jobs on the go, best described as his passions. He was an
extrovert, a true entertainer and the first football match he watched was the World
Cup in 1966, he was an Alex fan, man and boy for over five decades so combine all
of those and you end up with someone with boundless energy and enthusiasm in
front of an adoring crowd.
In July 2012, the Crewe Chronicle reported: Whatever the Alex achieve in League
One next season, it will have to be something special to top their promotion triumph
at Wembley in May for one man in particular, dreams came true for more than just
the Crewe players in the League Two Pay Off Final.
Lifelong fan and stadium announcer Andy Scoffin is still brimming with pride after
playing to the biggest audience of his life.
Five days before the big game, Scoff learned he could have a slot with the
microphone on the hallowed turf half an hour before kick-off.

Scoff said, “I had free reign to get our supporters in the mood, so I welcomed almost
15,000 Alex fans and was greeted by a tremendous cheer!”
“I read our team line-up and introduced the music we use at home games; local band
Dario G, as chosen by boss Steve Davis and set off a sea of red and white scarves
and flags and lots of vocal participation”
The 12th man was well and truly fuelled up and ready to go! He added, “at full time I
was pitchside and joined the celebratory hugs with manager Steve and assistant
Neil. It was an experience of a lifetime and the highlight of 45 years following this
great football club.
“Normally the work starts at home when I check the next opposition's squad for tricky
names and prepare an 80-minute music disc to cover pre match and half time.
I arrive at the ground around two hours before kick-off to prepare the pre match
announcements and test the equipment in the control room. I meet the mascot and
then join Neal and our captain to meet the rival’s skipper and manager to exchange
team sheets.
I take the line ups to be printed up then distributed before officially welcoming the
teams as they come out of the tunnel, then it's off to the PA box to watch the game,
note and announce scorers and goal times. It's fair to say that home goal
announcements are more boisterous than away goals, it’s so difficult after all these
years as a fan to remain impartial!”
The reporter went on to say; “Andy, who also does DJ work landed the Gresty role in
2010 shortly after he beat head and neck cancer”. It is clearly not just a job to him, it
is a passion and he feels he can genuinely help his team by getting the Alex fans in
good voice before games.
After his death, Crewe Alex paid tribute to their valued stadium announcer and
described him as “more than simply the voice of our club, he was the heartbeat and
soul of Crewe Alex, loved and valued by everyone who knew him! There was a
minute’s applause before kick-off of the friendly at the Mornflake Stadium V Wolves
match on 17 th , the players wore black arm bands as a mark of respect.
Fans responded to the news of his passing with heartfelt tributes: There wasn’t and
will never be a truer Railwayman than Andy. Lovely words, sentiments and actions
to honour a true supporter and a lovely man.
He was a legend on the music scene. Working alongside some famous bands back
in the day, Edwin Starr, The Real Thing, Jimmy James, not forgetting NSS. David
Cooke was one of our bearers who had the honour of bringing his mate into the
chapel today, he told me: “Andy started his working life in the Works training school
in August 1975. After twelve months he went in the works as an apprentice
machinist. I met Andy in the town one day in 1994 and he came to Jesters to have a
look round when we were adding the finishing touches.
He began DJ’ing in Jesters then we opened the Camelot the following year and
Steam in 98. I think it was during those years he began to excel in the mic and with
his vast knowledge of music became the best DJ for miles around”.

Apparently, his love of music started at an early age, in 1984, he went to Live Aid
and Yvonne says he always complained he had to go alone as no one wanted to go
with him but he had a fantastic time.
Over the years he loved going to concerts, he had an eclectic taste with the likes of
Rod Stewart, OMD, Roxy Music, Diana Ross and the Drifters but then he stopped
going when he thought the tickets were too expensive. Of course, he wasn’t tight –
just careful! He regularly returned home from the pub, well-oiled but very proud to
have spent nothing! And how many times has someone said, “shall we go out for
tea”? “Nah” “Yvonne’s paying”, “go on then”!
He always found money for hols though! But before booking, he’d have to check the
fixtures. Yvonne could miss City but there was more chance of him landing on the
moon than missing the Alex.
Yvonne and her family are City season ticket holders, but rivalry never really got in
the way, at the weekends it was a case of ‘never the twain shall meet’ and a plaque
he has summed it up perfectly for him, “We interrupt this marriage for the football
season!”
Slotted around football they enjoyed two or three breaks a year and when I asked
where to, Yvonne said “where haven’t we been”? They spent their honeymoon in
Bulgaria when there was nothing there and enjoyed watching its tourism expand in
subsequent years. They’ve been twice to Aruba in the Caribbean, Barbados,
Antigua, St Lucia, Malta, Turkey, Venezuela, Croatia, the list is endless, and no
matter where he was in the world, he always went looking for a record shop! And
never failed to bring a plate back as a keepsake to add to his mountain of holiday tac
and boot sale bargains.
Boot sales were a form of worship for him, Yvonne often took him on a Sunday but if
she couldn’t take him or it was another day in the week, he regularly cycled there at
the crack of dawn. He always picked up his bargains saying, “it’ll be worth som’at
one day”!
He loved thunderbirds and was one of those who queued for hours for Tracy Island.
He compiled pub quizzes for Greenall Whitley, there was absolutely nothing he didn’t
know about music, he was the saviour of any team, fiercely competitive especially in
family quizzes and they family are just as bad!
On 1 st June in the Crewe Nub News, underneath the picture of him holding his
Christy Charity Medal awarded for the phenomenal amount of fundraising he did for
for Head and Neck at the Christies, it was reported: 9 th May, a charity football match
at Crewe Alex raised £7,177.50 for The Christie, the match organised by Stadium
Announcer and lifelong fan Andy Scoffin.
Players paid to play on the hallowed turf with the teams split into Red Alex Shirts
past and present and Alex away shirts past and present captained by his sons
Ashley and Warren respectively, Andy kicked off and to show no favouritism, wore
one of the shirts during each half.

He was recently awarded local legend of the month from CAT FM in recognition of
his fundraising for the Christies. Yvonne, Jo and a willing friend had red headbands
made and personalised with ‘Andy’s Ninjas’, they thought they could raise a target of
£200 by selling them through facebook. Fortunately, the heating broke at home, so
the unsuspecting Scoff told Yvonne to stay at Jo’s which turned out to be a heaven-
sent opportunity to sell loads more. Then on the first day of his treatment he saw all
the selfies posted on facebook and was gobsmacked when he realised they had
raised £4123.
Mark Potts paid tribute:
Andy was instrumental in the idea of doing the Crewe Speedway book after writing a
piece on his love for the kings. I read the piece and met Andy in the Woodside to
discuss the possibility of writing a book about our Speedway heroes. He didn't need
asking twice!! We spent the next six months interviewing the riders and pouring
through the Speedway magazines, and along with Kevin Tew, we produced what is
arguably the best club Speedway book ever compiled.
I remember sitting with Andy on the launch night after nearly all the fans had gone
home.

We were sitting with about seven of the ex-riders having a chat and a few beers.
Andy said to me I will wake up in the morning and this has all been a dream! Just a
few years ago a Crewe Kings team rode at stoke on a Saturday night. We decided
to go and had a fantastic night cheering the team on, then later enjoyed a few beers
in the Woodside. It was a testimony to how much he was loved in the Crewe
Speedway family when on Saturday evening after Andy's passing, I received a
phone call from New Zealand. It was from Colin Tucker, the first captain and the
man who built the Speedway stadium at Earle St. He had heard the sad news and
wanted to pass on his condolences. Andy will always be known as “Mr Crewe Alex”.
To me he was, and always will be “Mr Crewe kings”.
Andy’s mates Ian, John and Pete all paid tribute.
And in honour of Scoff:
Blue Moon
you saw me standing alone
without a care in the world
without a love of my own
The NSS have produced a version of the Northern Soul classic, Long After Tonight is
All Over featuring Nicci Hicks on backing vocals, after hearing the demo, Andy was
really excited, saying “its gonna be **** hot”! Sadly, he didn’t manage to hear the
final version, but it should be available soon to download.

May he rest in peace