Obituaries

GEOFFREY WILLIAM FINNEY (1930 – 2014)

Geoff attended Chesterfield Grammar School from 1941 to 1948. He was in Large House and has been a regular attendee at Old Cestrefeldian Society Reunion Dinners.

Geoff was certainly one of life’s great characters. He enhanced so many lives, especially young people’s. This was in whatever capacity be it as a husband to Pat, father, grandfather, or brother to David and as a friend, teacher and head master, work colleague, a Francophile, a fell walker, a keen long distance cyclist before cycling became fashionable, dog owner, a Rotarian and unquestionably as a Freemason .

He was proud to have been born and brought up in Chesterfield, Derbyshire. He also was extremely proud to have been educated at Chesterfield Grammar School and throughout his life maintained his membership of his old school association and attended their reunions. Even then he stood out from the crowd with his precocious intelligence. It was not all work because he was keen throughout his life on sport especially football. Derbyshire and the Peak District led to his love of the great outdoors and in the years ahead, generations of school boys, parents and teachers were taken on walking and camping trips all over the UK and to France. This involved everyone piling onto the school coach driven by Geoff. Camp sites were carefully selected so they were near a pub for the mandatory evening teachers review meeting.

After school Geoff did his national service in the RAF and then trained as a teacher at St Paul’s, Cheltenham. There followed his remarkable teaching career first at Clay Cross, then Pilsley before moving to Thetford, Norfolk.

He was appointed head of the Royal Free Boys’ School on Bachelors Acre, Windsor (the youngest ever) and he remained head of that school and its successor, St Peters Middle School, in Old Windsor for many years. Generations of Windsor school boys and work colleagues benefited from his leadership.

Geoff was one of those people for which the rather overused saying carpe diem is justified. He was always involved in something, surrounded by mounds of paperwork. He was a man of the turf, who loved studying form, attending race meetings and having a flutter. He was a Rotarian for 45 years and the club’s president in 1986. Geoff proudly upheld the rotary motto of service before self. He would regularly help out taking OAP’s for drives in the countryside and shaking the Rotary bucket outside Tesco at Christmas while a blizzard was blowing. Whatever he was doing you could guarantee he would be talking non-stop, telling stories, anecdotes and giving his learned views on subjects. God help you if you were in his car at the same time hanging on for dear life as journeys were made at rocket speed. Speed cameras were one of the very few things I knew which he hated with a vengeance.

No talk about Geoff though would be complete without mentioning his huge contribution to Freemasonry. He was Freemason for 57 years. He joined in Derbyshire in October 1957 and was initiated into St Thomas Lodge No 2583 and became their WM in 1970. He was in Thetford Lodge in Norfolk. He was a member of numerous Berkshire lodges in all sorts of masonic orders. What is quite extraordinary is that Geoff was what is called a Grand Officer i.e. the most senior mason, in almost every masonic order he was a member of. Geoff however was never one to be self-important about his exalted rank. His heart was in ground root masonry – he was the founder and first master of Acre Lodge in 1972 which was set up for the old boys and staff of the Royal Free School. After his year as Master he was then the secretary for over 25 years and I can attest that he and he alone ran Acre Lodge.

He was a hugely knowledgeable mason and undertook extensive study and research into all aspects. Whenever a talk was needed Geoff was your man. Whatever the event or subject he was able to deal with it. Geoff had the good fortune to be blessed with a brain which surpassed usual intelligence. He was able to use that brain to teach, organise and benefit all those who came into contact with him.

Very sadly and cruelly Geoff was afflicted by dementia in the last couple of years of his life and during this time he was selflessly cared for and nursed by Pat. The world will be a greatly lesser place without his presence. His lifetime’s work will never be forgotten and his legacy will last for decades.

Based on a eulogy provided by Geoff’s brother David