Tributes to a wonderful husband (From Halstead Gazette)

Tributes to a wonderful husband

11:25pm Saturday 20th September 2008

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A “wonderful husband and father”, who worked hard right up until his death, will be missed by many villagers.

Maurice Nash, of Nunnery Street, Castle Hedingham, was well-known for helping out at community events in the village and churches.

He was born in Toppesfield and first played the organ at the village’s St Margaret’s Church when he was just 11 years old.

Mr Nash went to the village school and at the age of 14 started work at the office in Rippers, a factory based between Castle Hedingham and Sible Hedingham.

At 18, he started national service and during these years he and some friends formed a band called Victory and played in surrounding villages.

Mr Nash served in Egypt and Italy while in the RAF until he was demobbed in 1948, at which point he returned to Rippers and met his future wife Monica.

They enjoyed many dates at the Plaza cinema in Swan Street, Sible Hedingham, and married in June 1953. In 1968, the couple moved to Nunnery Street.

The couple moved to one of the Rippers’ houses on Yeldham Road and were part of St Nicholas Church, Castle Hedingham, joining the choir and parochial church council.

Mr Nash, whose passion had been brewing his own wine, was parochial church council treasurer for a number of years, then people’s warden, a voluntary organist, choirmaster and bellringer.

He also enjoyed football and was captain for Toppesfield United for a period of time.

St Margaret’s Church was packed for the 80-year-old’s funeral and his widow Monica has been overwhelmed by the number of condolence cards, which total almost 150.

Mrs Nash, 76, said: “He loved church music and he got people interested in music.

“He was a wonderful husband and father – you couldn’t say otherwise. He was always busy doing something and was never afraid to say what he thought.

“In the village, he was well-known for his wine and he had been playing the organ just a couple of weeks before he died.”

Doctors believe his cause of death was pneumonia.

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