A man described as a “bedrock” of his community has died aged 95.
Jack Tooke was a key member of the Wensum Residents Association (WRA) and the Hotblack Road Community Centre, acting as treasurer for the association for more than 30 years.
Born in the Mile Cross area of Norwich in 1924, Mr Tooke went to the City of Norwich school, before training to become an accountant, the profession he kept for the rest of his working life.
On June 4, 1949, he married his fiancée, Doreen and together the couple moved to Hotblack Road where they stayed for the remainder of their married life.
In the mid-1970s, Mr Tooke helped establish the WRA, serving as its treasurer for more than three decades.
During their married life, Mr and Mrs Tooke fostered several children, including newborn babies, and helped to raise hundreds of pounds for charity, namely the Baby Care Unit at Norfolk and Norwich Hospital and Marie Curie.
Joanna Stanton, one of Mr Tooke’s daughters said her father was very much at the centre of the family.
She said: “He was just a lovely man, nobody had a bad word to say about him and he got on with everybody.”
Sally Waterfield, a friend of Mr and Mrs Tooke’s, whose husband David worked alongside Mr Tooke at the WRA, described Mr Tooke as an “absolutely lovely man”.
She said: “He was what you would call a gentleman, he really was.
“He was a lovely man and I don’t think I ever heard anyone say a bad word about him, I don’t think you could.”
Richard Holmes, who also worked alongside Mr Tooke at the WRA, said: “Jack was a real stalwart, he got on with the job, he was very reliable and he was what you would call the bedrock [of the community].
“He was there at the beginning [of the WRA], that was his life, he just got on with it.”
Mr Tooke died on Wednesday, June 24. He is survived by his three daughters, Chris, Joanna and Carol as well as six grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here