Derek was originally from Middlesbrough, he was the only surviving child of Harold and Edna. At the outbreak of war he was sent to live with his grandparents in SacristonCounty Durham before moving back at the end of hostilities. His family came toSouth Shields in 1948 when his father then employed by Amos Hinton took up the position of Branch manager at the newly opened store.He was educated at South Shields High school for boys. He played rugby – notably breaking
his nose and dislocating his shoulder. He was a member of the Scout
Association.

On completion of his schooling he began his working career in the
employment of J & HS Pattinson, a firm of Public Analysts. Whilst there
Derek studied chemistry at Rutherford College - now Northumbria University-
becoming an Associate of the Royal Institute of Chemistry. After 6 years Derek
moved to the North West of the Country working for the Atomic Energy Authority
as an Analytical Chemist before returning to the North East to take up
employment with Formica Limited. Here he
undertook a variety of roles, finally as Training Manager until his
early retirement in 1995.

Derek and his wife Carole met at the Glebe Methodist Church youth club, they married in 1960. They were married for 54 years. During their years together Derek was a loving and very tolerant husband! Carole’s mother, Ella, lived with them for over 20 years. Derek used to say it was a good job the dog was male as he was very outnumbered by women in the house! He was a hands on dad – Saturday morning breakfasts always included eggs – whether fried for Wendy or boiled for Lynne and he regularly took the girls out.

Family was the most importantthing in his life. When his son in laws Peter and Marc joined the family, he was interested in them as much as his daughters. He made an effort to follow theirfootball teams Liverpool and Celtic, despite rugby being his first love! His grandchildren were always at the forefront of his mind – even when very ill he would always ask what they were up to. He found his 4 grandsons a revelation and a great joy, after having daughters himself, but was equally delighted with the
arrival of Ellen. He welcomed his step grandchildren Michael and Anna warmly
and never failed to point out that males now outnumbered females in our family!
These young people all had very strong bonds with their Grandad.



When Glebe church closed they moved to West Harton and it was here that many
strong friendships were made. Derek was a member of the Drama Group – who can forget the fabulously funny sight of Derek cast alongside Ian and George or Derek’s performance as Herod and the cowardly lion.

In 2013 Derek was honoured to receive a certificate celebrating 50 years as a freemason. He joined Gothic Lodge with his father – in – law in 1963, later transferring to Westoe Lodge. He held several positions within the lodge and always enjoyed the social side too. (He regularly got into trouble from Carole for sharing a glass too many!)

It was thanks toWestoe Lodge’s Christmas party that Derek began as one of Santa’s special helpers. He eventually performed the role in several primary schools and
toddler groups! Many young adults will remember his patience and good humour as
they listed what they would like to receive in their stockings. His
grandchildren all visited him in this role and believed he used his computer to
send messages to the elves.

After his early retirement in 1995, Derek filled every second of his time. He was a governor at King George Comprehensive School, a steward at Durham Cathedral, he researched his ancestry- some lines as far back back as the 1500s.

Derek’sadventures abroad started at an early age – he travelled to Kandersteg with the Scouts in the 1950s and independently in Europe with his friend John.
The family had a touring caravan, which gave them the opportunity to visit every
corner of the UK. Retirement gave Derek and Carole the chance to travel more
widely. Their holidays were many and varied, Canada, Australia, the Amazon,
Israel, Italy. They enjoyed cruises in Egypt and the Mediterranean. They loved
spending time in Spain. They thoroughly enjoyed holidaying and spending
weekends with good friends – Margaret, George, Ian, Jean, Brian and Elizabeth. Meals out – lunches and dinners – were regular and gave Derek great pleasure – he loved to recount every morsel he had eaten!!

As Derek was forced to slow down by his health, he spent many hours reading. This was nothing new – he read obsessively and was a clever, self educated man. His
breakfast was always taken standing at the kitchen bench with a book propped up
in front of him. He was enthusiastic about modern technology – he had an Ipad
before any of his grandchildren!! He used the internet confidently and embraced
new developments- much of his reading in later years was done on his Kindle. He
navigated his way around his smart telly, finding many YouTube links to occupy
him when bedridden – mainly documentaries and music concerts. Anyone who has
been in Derek’s company during the last few months will appreciate his love of
all forms of music. It was hard to choose pieces for his funeral as he had so
many “favourite” musicians.

There are so many other things to tell you about Derek. It’s hard to sum up such a rich and varied life in so few words.
Lynne