Ronald Church
Tired and weary you made no fuss, but tried so hard to stay with us
Date passed: 27th of May 2018
Funeral date: 8th of June 2018
“Tired and weary you made no fuss, but tried so hard to stay with us”
Peacfully on Sunday 27th May in Leighton Hospital, Ron aged 74 years.
The beloved partner of Paula a much loved dad of Julie, Nicholas, Melanie, Blake and Jack, a cherished grandad of Lorrinda, Ashley, Bethany, Lacy, keira, Kennan, Maisey, Alfie and Leo and treasured great grandad of Jade, Kane and Teddie.
Ron was born on Wednesday 26th April 1944 to his proud parents Violet and Terry, both have now passed away, Ron was one of three with Terrance and Kim. When he was born he weighted 13lb 3oz, a fact he was very proud of!
It was a happy home in Ramsbottom Street, Crewe. Ron went to West Street boys and Ludford Street, he was clever and artistic and could have gone to art college. He loved time with his family and his cousins Johnny, Peter, Barry, Ronnie and Jimmy Appleyard.
Those were the days when your door was always unlocked and neighbours were good friends.
Ron always liked bikes but wasn’t popular taking them apart in the kitchen.
Ron was great fun to be with and a loyal friend.
He was young when he left school and took care of his mother who was ill.
He had many jobs, Railway, Fireman, Brickmaker at Trufly and owning his own taxi firm, C&N Taxis. He employed a lot of full time and part time people and worked incredibly hard himself along with friends Pete and Norman in 1983 to make it succesful.
He loved antiques having a little pitch at Dagfields. He enjoyed fishing both at home and abroad.
He had a passion for Karate and had his own clubs in Lostock, Alsager and Crewe. Kath and Fred Harrison who were former students of Ron’s still run a club to this day of which he’d be very proud.
Ron loved all nature, being at his best and most relaxed when looking after his plants.
He liked a wide variety of TV shows including the darts and Storage Hunters.
He was married to the late Margaret Harris (RIP) in 1965, they had three children, Julie, Nicholas and Melanie. Later on he met his partner Paula in 1995 and went on to have Blake and Jack.
Ron had a full life and his varied interests made life busy and enjoyable.
At 58 years of age Ron suffered a severe stroke that changed his life and those around him. Those who knew him will know that he said things as they were. He was a lot of fun to be with and was a caring, kind man who was brave enough to deal with the Stroke. His partner, his family and friends have been dedicated to him.
At his funeral we will play his favourite peices of music including Eye of the Tiger, Day Dream Beleiver, and the thanksgiving service for Ron will end with Frank Sinatra singing….what else???? I did it My Way.
Redream as he would say.
Ron’s funeral will take place at Crewe Crematorium Chapel on Friday 8th June at 2.40pm. Any donations in Ron’s memory are for the valuable work of the Stroke Association.
Further information please contact our funeral.
Ron, I miss you so much it hurts. I think about you all the time, you will forever be with us in our hearts, I can still hear you shouting and swearing and singing. The last 24 years I’ve spent with you I will cherish forever. Thank you for blessing me with 2 beautiful lads, Blake and Jack, who will carry on in your footsteps. Goodnight, sweet dreams, until we meet again. Paula. xxxxxxxxxxxx
- Approved by oconnellRon it was great meeting you when you came to stay with Paula, Blake and Jack. Giving me orders to make you a cup of tea and an omelette at 1 o’clock in the morning! And the laughs we had….too many to mention. Reminising about the 60s music with my dad. All my family that met you are saddened that you are no longer with us as you made a big impact on many people. R.I.P my friend, sleep well xxxx
- Approved by oconnellRon what a true pleasure to have known you both as a senior karateka and as a friend. I look back at the times when we were in your company and a smile comes to my face. To you Paula there is no doubt you / we will miss him but as long as we hold on to those memories then hopefully it will help during the times we need comfort. God bless you Ron
- Approved by oconnellX. Brian, Amy and the little ones.
Will be thinking of you Paula and the boys,god bless Ron, sleep tight???????????? Paula, he must have been a very strong man but then he had a strong woman behind him,u dedicated your life to him and yes u got 2 lovely boys and your beautiful grandson to be strong for, take care Paula, lots of love and hugs from Lorraine Brian xxx ❤❤❤
- Approved by oconnellSo sorry Paula, Ron was always so good to Mum and gave her a chance when no-one else would’ve done ❤❤
- Approved by oconnellRon R.I.P. You always made me smile and made me part of the family .I will miss your contagious smile and your laughter, your lovely partner Paula and the 2 boys
- Approved by oconnellBlake and Jack are a credit to you .Now it’s time for you to shine so bright in the sky. I will look at the night sky and think of you.xx
First meeting Ron 16 you could well be forgiven for thinking that was a scary grumpy bloke.
But then in the small hours of the morning as your shift answering the taxi office phones quietened down you got to meet the real Ron.
A man who couldn’t help himself but be fatherly. Long talks about fishing, constant telling’s off for smoking and the wonderful nights when he would dash back and forth between the office and his living room, bringing back one at a time the latest antique, bit of fishing tackle or photograph from the latest fishing trip. Each item with a story attached that he took great joy in telling.
A testament to the Gentleman he was i suppose, that each of his children and grandchildren who I have had the pleasure of knowing are all also wonderful people.
It was a pleasure to have met you Ron and my deepest sympathy to Paula, your children who I have never met and to Julie, Mel and Rin who have remained friends some 30 odd years later.
- Approved by oconnellDear Paula, Blake, Jack, Julie, Mel & Nick. Ron was our Sensei, Mentor & best friend . He will be deeply missed by all at Mid Cheshire Shotokan Karate Club, Northwich. This was the first Karate Club he set up in the 1970’s . Now run by his former students Fred and Cathy Harrison . Ron was a hard task master, mentor, dear friend, who’s students achieved many accolades . He will forever be in our hearts & terribly missed, rest in peace Ron, love Fred, Cathy, Jo, Dean & Humbug & all at Mid Cheshire Shotokan XX
- Approved by oconnellPaula we would like to send our deepest sympathy for you and your family. Eddie Carleton Barbara Charlotte John and Lisa xxx
- Approved by oconnellDad has some fond memories of working in the North shed in the 60s such a lovely guy xx
I met Ron just before Christmas a couple of years ago with his Karate family. He was awarded a certificate by the Head Chairman of the British Karate Assosiation for his dedication to karate for the last 40 years. To see how happy he was to receive that and be together with Fred, Cathy and Dean will stay with me forever.
I have always heard stories about Ron from my karate senseis and when he came to watch at the club I train at, I felt privaledged to have him there.
I wish my entire best to the whole family. He will be missed dearly!
- Approved by oconnellR.I.P. Ron,
A great guy, wonderful company. Always made me laugh. You were the British karate Association chief referee back in the day, always a pleasure to be in your company. You’ll be greatly missed by all that knew you as a friend and in the Karate World.
You certainly won’t be forgotten.
- Approved by oconnellxx Brian and all the members of the B.K.A
I would like to send my condolences. I feel honoured to have met him through being a student at Mid Cheshire Shotokan. Though I didn’t know him well, I would just like to offer my deepest sympathy to the family at this sad and difficult time.
- Approved by oconnellRon had a massive influence on my life and my career although he never knew, because I didn’t find the time in my busy schedule to return to Crewe and tell him.
Ron came up in conversation last night whilst I was reminiscing about my Karate days, during which Ron trained and guided me to 1st Kyu (brown and white belt grade). I googled Ron Church Crewe and there was his obituary. I was so shocked and upset to learn that Ron had passed four years ago and at such a relatively young age that I hardly slept.
Ron had a love of teaching and mentoring at which he excelled. He exuded confidence and it rubbed off on me. I was in my mid teens and Ron taught me how to fight, how to best use my physical attributes and how to win. To me, Ron was fearless and driven. Yet he was kind, generous, honest and he would help and find time for anyone.
Shotokan Karate was brought to Crewe in the early 1970’s by the late Mr Sadashiga Kato, an elite Karate master who came to England from Japan. The first Crewe students to be awarded a black belt were four men, all of whom successfully passed their 1st Dan grading exam on the same day, one of whom was Ron Church.
Ron, who also had a full time job at Rolls Royce set up his own Shotokan Karate club in Northwich, Cheshire. This was so successful that Ron soon set up another club in Alsager. At that time I had recently left school and was training with Mr Kato and Mike Kotowski at Crewe, but to save time commuting I later joined Ron’s Alsager club. However, the Alsager students were beginners and Ron recommended I train at his Northwich club. So for the next couple of years I would ride my motorbike to Ron’s house in Crewe twice a week after work and then Ron would drive us both to Northwich. During the drive Ron would give me advice, not just about Karate but about most things in life and he was my Council. He taught me about basic economics and inflation, that cars depreciate in value unlike property and that cars around two years old were the best buy. Like Ron, I enjoyed fishing and one of his top tips for keeping warm in the winter was to “wear a pair of ladies nylon tights under your trousers”. Brilliant idea, as there were not many other options in the mid 70’s.
Ron was incredibly hard working and a motivator. He undertook his Karate coaching badges and one weekend in 1975 he took his first wife Margaret, myself and my girlfriend to the national stadium at Crystal Palace in south London where he was judging a competition. We drove to London from Crewe in Ron’s red Vauxhall Viva. Margaret had toothache and I asked if it was a big tooth. Ron quipped a joke and we were all in stitches laughing. This was in the days before the M25 and Ron navigated across London without a map. He taught me how to ask taxi drivers for directions, which he always did, usually whilst we were waiting at traffic lights!
On the journey home from Crystal Palace Ron gave a lift to Karate legend Bob Rhodes who was catching a train to Leeds from London’s Kings Cross station. I remember that Bob was fascinated by Ron’s job at Rolls Royce and asked plenty of questions. Ron explained how everyone on the production line was an expert at what they did.
Ron was reliable, loyal and caring. One night at Northwich Karate I was injured whilst sparring with another of Ron’s students called Pete Mountfield who was the same grade as me. I was not concerned but Ron insisted he take me to hospital on the way home where they diagnosed a broken nose. Pity that Pete didn’t knock more sense into me at the same time.
During one of my brown belt gradings I chose to be contrarian and to perform a beautiful but rarely performed kata alone called Enpi (flying swallow), instead of performing the more popular kata Basai Dai with Fred Harrison and another two students. The grading exam was held at an unfamiliar venue and the floor was more slippery than I was used to. As I performed Enpi alone in front of the watching crowd, Ron sat beside the late Bobby Poynton from Liverpool who was the chief judge. I was nervous and feeling apprehensive because of the slippery floor. Although I managed to land reasonably well after the jump with 180 degree turn, my performance was disappointing. I could tell that Poynton was concerned and I heard him ask Ron whether I had trained enough lately. Fortunately, Ron spoke up for me and I was given a full pass, although I knew I had got away with one that night thanks to Ron’s kindness and generosity.
I was pleased to learn that Fred Harrison and his wife took over Northwich Shotokan and I know how much that must have meant to Ron. I remember during class one night when Fred (then like me, a brown belt) turned up with his girlfriend to watch the Karate because he had broken his leg playing football. Ron joked about football being a dangerous game and reprimanded us for “looking at Fred’s bird” instead of concentrating on our Karate.
Ron gave me the confidence, courage, determination and drive to leave my factory job in 1978 and go to college and then university where I qualified as a doctor and eventually qualified from Cambridge as a medical Consultant. Not a bad legacy for Ron or for a working class kid from Alsager.
Before I joined Ron’s karate club I was still quite shy although my confidence was improving slowly. But it was Ron who put the fire in my belly. He was a leader, an inspiration and he spoke with authority. Ron’s influence turned me into a self assured young man who went on to enjoy teaching others and giving invited postgraduate academic lectures to large audiences.
I last saw Ron in 1983 after he saw me outside Crewe train station. He was driving a taxi and waiting in the taxi queue for work. We spoke only briefly because I was in a hurry. I told him I was at university studying to be a doctor. Ron smiled with delight and he wished me well.
Eight years later in 1991, I remember speaking to a lady friend from Crewe about Ron. She knew his name because her father had worked at Rolls Royce and she told me that Ron now ran his own taxi firm called C & N taxi’s. At the time I remember saying that there should be a statue of Ron Church in Crewe town centre square because of his services to the local community.
Much of what I have achieved in my life has stemmed from the guidance and wisdoms I gained from Ron. I can hear him talking to me as if it was yesterday. We will never know just how many lives Ron touched for the better or the true extent of his amazing legacy. Ron and those like him should be at very the top of the Queen’s honours list.
- Approved by oconnellRIP Ron Church, teacher, friend and a true Crewe legend.
John ,
- Approved by oconnellIt was so lovely to read your kind words about my Dad . It sounds like he meant a lot to you .
Thank you for taking the time to write
Melanie Hill (Church)