Farewell to pioneering shopkeeper; FUNERAL: Tributes paid to popular former grocer.Byline: Duncan Gibbons THE funeral of a popular former shopkeeper who opened one of Coventry's first dedicated West Indian West In·dies An archipelago between southeast North America and northern South America, separating the Caribbean Sea from the Atlantic Ocean and including the Greater Antilles, the Lesser Antilles, and the Bahama Islands. food stores, is being held tomorrow. Bill Horsley passed away peacefully in his sleep at home in Chillaton Road, Whitmore Park, on August 31, at the grand old age of 102. Family and friends will join old acquaintances and customers for a service at Canley crematorium cre·ma·to·ri·um n. pl. cre·ma·to·ri·ums or cre·ma·to·ri·a A furnace or establishment for the incineration of corpses. crematorium Noun pl -riums or and cemetery at 10.30am to celebrate the widower's long and eventful life. Stocking exotic favourites such as pig's tails in brine brine a salt solution used in the curing of meat. Standard ingredients are sodium chloride (15 to 30%) and sodium nitrate (0.15 to 1.50%) but many other ingredients may be added for special effects. brine shrimp see artemia. , giant yams, green bananas and sweet potatoes, Bill's shop in Queen Mary's Road, Foleshill, proved a huge hit with some of the first Caribbean settlers in the city in the early 1960s. His daughter Margaret, aged 64, who also lives in Chillaton Road, said: "One night a Jamaican delivery driver who got lost trying to find a shop in Foleshill Road left my dad with some Caribbean food like salted cod and said 'see how it goes'. Word spread and it all went in no time. "All the local white people were really curious and kept asking how you cooked it all." Bill was born and raised in Cross Road, Foleshill, and went to Edgwick School. During the Second World War he was an inspector at city factories Armstrong Whitworth Sir W G Armstrong Whitworth & Co Ltd was a major British manufacturing company of the early years of the 20th century. Headquartered in Elswick, Newcastle upon Tyne, Armstrong Whitworth engaged in the construction of armaments, ships, locomotives, automobiles, and aircraft. and Courtaulds, and later ran a shoe shop, in Bedworth. He sold his general store in 1964 to semi-retire, but Margaret said he "quickly got bored" and got a job as a back-door manager for Tesco. Bill, who often played snooker and darts at the Ex-Servicemen's Club, in Foleshill Road, was married to Sarah, known as Siss, for more than 60 years before her death seven years aged 93. He also leaves son-in-law Michael and 38-year-old granddaughter Yvonne Drake. Margaret said: "He loved to meet people. When he went off in his car to get orders he'd be gone forever having a cup of tea and a chat with them." CAPTION(S): HAPPY DAYS ... William Horsley's 100th birthday (top) and (above) William with the unnamed Jamaican delivery driver who introduced him to West Indian food. |
|
||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion