James Henry Elson

“Gone from our sight, but never from our memories.”

Jim aged 93 years passed away on Thursday 24th March 2022 peacefully at home knowing he was loved and cared for by his devoted family.

The loving Husband of the late Mary. Devoted Dad of Janet. Cherished Grandad of Gareth & Darrelle and Great Grandad of Conor, Jacob & Logan.

He entered the world on 4th August 1928.  A Crewe boy born and bred, after his older sister Marian died at a young age and then his dad sadly passed, he lived with his mum, Jessie on Beech Street and was devoted to her.

She worked long hours as a bookie’s runner to provide for James and keep a roof over their heads and she encouraged James to help her because his little legs were much quicker than hers!

From an early age, James developed a passion for horse racing and if horse racing wasn’t on, he would have a flutter on the dogs.  He carried on as a Bookies runner for many years, and his daughter Janet remembers his customer’s betting slips and money laid out meticulously on the dining room table, she didn’t dare disturb them and she smiled as she told me he knew exactly what the bookies owed – they couldn’t pull one over on him!  After his mum died, James stopped being a runner and concentrated on his own bets.

As a youngster, he attended Beech Street School but left at the age of fourteen like most of his peers.  He helped out in the abattoir for a while, not easy for a young lad but then in September 1946 he was conscripted into the RAF for three years, based in Dunfermline and assigned to 115th Maintenance Unit, he was ground Crewe maintaining Spitfires and Mosquitos, posted for the majority of his service to the West of Bagdhad in Iraq and he never wanted to talk about experiences.

After he was demobbed, James became a tailor in the cutting room at Chester Barry and he didn’t just pick up a pair of scissors, he met the love of his life Mary, an established seamstress.

It was a whirlwind romance and whilst visiting James’s extended family in Plymouth they got engaged on Plymouth Howe.  Ater getting married on 1st March 1952, they returned for their honeymoon and continued to go for three weeks every year to combine a holiday with seeing his relations and only stopped going years later when they had all sadly passed away.

They started married life living with Jessie which helped them to save for their forever home on Holt Street and just before Janet arrived, James left Chester Barry to work for the Royal Mail and became a postie on the beat as Janet put it!  He walked or cycled for years before eventually working in the Irish Section at the sorting office, but he never lost his love of the outdoors and enjoyed walking wherever he was.

He was totally devoted to his wife and family, daughter Janet, grandchildren Gareth and Darrell, great grandchildren, Connor, Jacob and Logan, daughter in law Michaela and son in law David and his first great granddaughter Ellie Louise born on Monday 4th April.

His funeral will take place on Thursday 7th April at Crewe Cemetery Chapel at 1pm followed by Burial.

Kind donations to Dementia UK.

For further information and to offer your condolences please telephone our Funeral Home on 01270 584447