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John Churly (G54-56)

1940-2010

At his funeral on 1 December 2010 there were 6 OF's present Gary Duce (K72-78), Chris Core (S73-78), Robert Mayhew (R53-60), Richard Hayes (S60-65), John Jarman (S55-58) and Andrew McLeod (S56-60)

The following address was given by the Rev’d Michael R Child :

John was born in Burton-on-Trent 13th December 1940, but lived most of his life in Essex. He was educated at Tavernham Preparatory School, Norwich, and the Framlingham College, Suffolk, where he made life-long friends; some of whom may be here today.

After leaving school he enjoyed many various occupations, from Teaching to Driving, Insurance to Marketing, travelling all over Britain and indeed the rest of the world, wearing one of his many hats.

John met his future wife and soul-mate Liz at the Orpheus Coffee Bar, Chelmsford in 1963. They married Saturday 16th July 1966 at St. Mary’s Church, Bocking. This was the only time in John’s life that he was late for anything, having been held up by the Chelmsford Carnival – and arrived half an hour behind the bride! Yes, she did forgive him and it was the beginning of a very happy and ‘always punctual’ married life together.

They lived all of their married life within the Braintree area, with the last 25 years being at the present house in Oakland’s Close. In 1971, their son Simon was born, and two years later Robert made his arrival into the world. The most recent addition to the Churly household was John’s grand-daughter, Erin Elizabeth, born 1st March 2010.

John has had many varied interests and hobbies, including sailing, art, golf, photography, cooking – and of course eating! But very important to him and very close to his heart was his involvement in Freemasonry, to which he devoted much of his time and energy.

Liz and the family know how much John’s involvement in the lodges meant to him, and would like to say a sincere and heartfelt thank you to his many friends and fellow freemasons who have been so very supportive over a difficult twelve months, and Liz would very much like to thank them for the unreserved kindness and care they have shown.

Over the last few years, John and Liz have been lucky enough to have had the opportunity to travel extensively throughout the World, visiting such amazing destinations as Australia, New Zealand, America, China, and of course their second home on the south coast of Turkey – from where they had just returned. John always used to say, as soon as it began to get cold, “I don’t do cold”! If only they had known he meant it, they would have probably remained there. The picture on the front cover of the Order of Service is the same as the wonderful sunsets they watched each night from the balcony of their apartment, and they leave many happy and very precious memories.

As some of you may know, John and Liz rarely made these amazing journeys alone, often travelling as part of a group of six with Liz’s twin brother and his wife, along with two other very dear friends. What made these trips even more special was that they were always accompanied by a sinister looking object – a trusty set of bagpipes, the cause of great interest and much suspicion at airports worldwide.

These bagpipes have been played in spectacular settings all along the way – from the steps of The Sydney Opera House to The Great Wall of China, on the Yangtze River at the 3 Gorges Dam to the edge of the Grand Canyon, all over New Zealand and of course here today. They always brought a smile to John’s face, and we know it will be doing the same today, so thank you Andy. They were so glad that they were able to do these things now, and did not leave it until it was too late.

John, we know, was much loved and will be missed by his many friends, especially his extended family of brothers and sisters-in-law, nieces and nephews. His sense of humour and ability to tell a good joke will always be remembered.

It’s impossible to put into words how much Liz and the family are going to miss John. He was always there for all of them with love and support, but they can only feel grateful for all of the time that they were able to have with him, both as a wife and as a son – even though that time doesn’t feel long enough at present.

We thank God for every happy remembrance of John.

© Rev’d Michael R Child, Witham 2010

His friend Chris Stoner, a fellow freemason, gave the following Eulogy at his funeral :

John was a special person and meant something to all of us here today and we all have our own personal memories of him.

My first meeting with John was when I went, with a mutual friend, to see how Colchester Hospital Radio functioned; I was introduced to John just before he started his program and finished up being interviewed by him live on air. It was then that I realised what an interesting character he was and how enthusiastic and persuasive he could be, of course, in the nicest possible way.

I have been asked to speak about John’s Masonic activities, a subject that his family only knows little about but something that was a large part of his life and meant so much to him.

I had the pleasure of seconding his application into Freemasonry and Lapis Magnes Lodge No. 5024 where he was Initiated on 21st March 1980, Passed on 16th May 1980 and Raised on 16th January 1981. He soon made his way through the various offices and was Installed as Worshipful Master on 16th October 1987. He was a very successful Secretary for 13 years from 1989 until 2002 doing much to the advantage of the lodge and its members.

Even at this early stage of his Masonic career John was very keen and active, he was Exalted into Hand of Good Fellowship Chapter No. 5249 in February 1982 was 1st Principal in 1989 and again in 2002. He was Treasurer for 4 years 1991-1995 and Charity Steward for 6 from 2004 onwards.

He joined Earl of Carnarvon Chapter No. 1642 in Feb. 1989, becoming 1st Principle in 1991 and Scribe E for 6 years from 1993 until last year when he handed over the reigns in order to have a rest. He later joined Capper Chapter No. 1076 in 1998 was 1st Principle in 2001 and 2002 and Scribe E for 5 years from 2004 until just recently.

In all of these Chapters he worked extremely hard to bring in a number of suitable candidates to enable them to keep on progressing.

He joined his old school lodge Old Framlinghamians No. 6646 in Suffolk on 30th May 1998, was their Worshipful Master in 2003 and served for 4 years as Secretary and a further 2 years as Almoner/Mentor. He was appointed PPSGD (Suffolk) in 2003.

John was a brilliant ritualist, with his easy and relaxed manner of address, you felt that he was speaking to you personally, not just reciting the ritual. He had his special “Party Pieces” which he was always ready to perform at the drop of a hat. He was well respected, true and trusty and held in high esteem by his brethren and fellows.

For all his hard and dedicated work in his Lodges, Chapters and on various Committees and Working Groups in London John was awarded LGR in 1997 and Grand Rank (PAGDC) in 2004.

In the Royal Arch he was awarded LGCR in 1999, SLGCR in 2005 and Grand Chapter Rank (PAGDC) in 2006, a rapid progression which bears witness to the amount of work he did behind the scenes.

Since being made a Grand Officer John has certainly not sat back on his laurels, he was an extremely successful and well respected V.G.O. (Visiting Grand Officer) and took on the responsibilities of an S.V.O. (Senior Visiting Officer) when the system changed in 2006.

In addition to all of this, John was a permanent visitor to many other Lodges and Chapters in London, Essex and Suffolk, giving them the benefit of his knowledge, experience and friendship.

I could never really keep up with John and his entrepreneurial activities; he entertained us with stories ranging from driving a Heavy Goods Vehicle across Europe to Lecturing, Photography, and anything to do with his passion for Marketing.

John will be greatly missed by everyone who knew him and he leaves a void in his Masonic activities that will be hard to fill.

All that I have left to say is, “John, it is well finished and may you be admitted to the Grand Lodge above, where the divisions of time shall cease and a glorious eternity burst open to view.”

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