Barry Ison

Munizha Ahmad-CookeNews Leave a Comment

Written by James Cormick

Sad news. Nigel Ison, our trimestrial window cleaner, told us this morning that his father, Barry, died last month, on Sunday 10 February 2019, of heart complications. Even though he was 83, it came as a great surprise to me. I had thought he would live forever. Ever since he started working for us 20 years ago he had seemed in rude good health for someone in his third age. He was a roofer by profession and the way he climbed up the steep roofs of our large Victorian house fearlessly and without any protecting ropes was beyond belief, miraculous even, like walking on air. He also did many carpentry jobs for us, including constructing two tall rose trellises on the outside walls of the house and a fence and gate enclosing the back yard and vegetable garden. These latter were originally designed to keep Daisy and Tilly, my wonderful terriers, also sadly departed, from running amok in the garden, darting in and out of the traffic on Brooklands Avenue, and menacing the postman. Barry was part of all that. He didn’t only work for us, he participated in the life and development of the Trust, and quite obviously enjoyed coming here. And that enjoyment was thoroughly reciprocated by all of us.

Who climbs with toil, whereso’er

Shall find wings waiting there. 

(Henry Charles Beeching)

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