Peter Edward Scivier (29 Dec 1926 - 8 Oct 2022)

In loving memory of Peter Edward Scivier; Eileen’s Husband of 68 years; Jane and Clare’s Dad; Martin’s father-in-law and Amelia, Oscar, Aimee and Jemma’s Poppa, who sadly passed away on 8th October 2022.

In the last few months of his life, he would often speak and give thanks for his happy and long life. It is for that happy and long life, of 95 years, that we celebrate and remember. During this time, he also spoke of the three things he was most proud of in life: Marrying ‘my’ Eileen, the ‘children’ (meaning Jane, Clare and the grandchildren) having ‘achieved’ without being pushed and finally looking after ‘his’ mum, Letitia. At the end, for him, what he valued was the relationships he held and his loyalty to those relationships. His final concern was to be assured that he had provided sufficiently to ensure that Eileen would be safe and secure on his passing. These were the things that he valued. The following describes his story, so you can understand Peter’s journey to, and keeping of, these values.

He was born just after Christmas on the 29th of December 1926, in London. He was the fourth and final child of Letitia and Edward Scivier. By then his father was a civil servant working at Somerset House, but his father had previously risen to the rank of Regimental Sergeant Major in the Rifle Brigade (now part of The Royal Green Jackets). By all accounts, as the baby of the family, he was rumoured to be a bit of a favourite, who liked being around people rather than being on his own and this was a trait that stayed with him. His elder sister, Edith, would often recount the story of her role in getting him to sleep at night. He would not let go of her hand and always wanted her to stay by him.

In school he rose through the classes, ahead of his peers due to both his mathematical ability and his great capacity to retain what he was taught. He had a very good memory and a quick mind! He acquired his Latin as an altar boy and it was here that he also developed his interest in earning money, by participating in weddings and funerals for a fee! This was a happy childhood which changed dramatically when at the age of 11, his father died and the family were left in financial distress. This left a mark on Peter and forever influenced the value he placed on financial security and its importance in protecting people’s lives. Peter’s father’s old regiment offered him and his brother Bob, the opportunity to attend the Rifle Brigade boarding school, but he refused preferring to stay at home where he could help support his mother and his sisters Edith and Connie. He looked for opportunities to contribute and would keep chickens to raise much needed funds.

Having completed all the classes at his local school he chose to go to work at 13 to generate an income for the family. He did this by joining a local business, Berney’s, who ran a number of women’s clothing stores. He quickly rose in the company, but the Second World War was the backdrop to his young life. He decided to join up, rather than go down the mines in 1944 and ‘do his bit’. He joined his father’s old regiment and saw active service as a tank driver, but most of his service was in occupied Germany, where he lived for three years and where he was part of the honour guard at the Nuremberg Trials. The war was a life changing experience for all people of his generation but for Peter, this offered him experiences and opportunities that positively influenced his life. He mixed with a wide variety of people from all walks of life, this expanded his knowledge and shaped him. He learnt to speak German which stayed with him throughout his life and which he last used whilst at A&E in July this year; speaking in German to a young doctor that was treating him. He indulged in sports and this added rock climbing and ice hockey to his interests. It expanded his horizons and gave him an empathy for the horror of war, its aftermath and the importance of peace. It opened his eyes to the opportunity of travel and its value in expanding all our horizons.

Following the war, he returned to his old employer and quickly rose to managing a chain of twenty shops. He was entrepreneurial and came up with winning designs for dresses and coats which added to the company’s bottom line. More importantly in 1949, at the age of 22 he met the love of his life, ‘his’ Eileen. Mum had joined the company at 16 to train as a window dresser. Initially she wasn’t sure of him as he was so ‘old’ and quite serious with a liking for classical music, especially opera. But by 1954 they had married and this was followed by the birth of Jane and subsequently Clare. In order to save for their first deposit on a house, Peter gave up smoking. He decided to do it one day and never smoked again! That level of determination, aided by the help of numerous peppermints, was another hallmark of my father’s character. They were now living in Brentwood in Essex and their working lives were punctuated with Sundays spent with the wider extended family and holidays abroad in the summer, which initially involved travelling by car to German speaking areas of Europe. These holidays enlightened the family to cultural difference, the shared values of humanity and the great pleasure in the diversity and richness of food. The trips heightened Jane’s curiosity regarding the world and for which she will forever be indebted. It was at this time that Peter first suffered problems with his knees requiring numerous operations over the years. He never complained and he always did as instruct by the physiotherapists, making sure that he optimised the health benefits. This was another positive trait that he demonstrated.

In the 1970’s as the world changed, so did Peter and he moved into a career in financial services, which he had long been interested in joining. His early experience of losing his father and the financial impact it had on the family made him committed to helping others to prevent such life defining situations. Whilst working he made many lifelong friends, including George Mace, Wally Hunt and Pete Jones. He valued his friends and took pleasure in playing golf and organising dining trips to France and closer to home ‘working lunches’ at Fred Nailors restaurant in Maldon, a very firm favourite! His work in financial services was highly technical, working on complex pension schemes but his passion for this work was driven by his desire to make others’ lives financially secure. Even when retired from the industry, many people sought him out to seek his trusted support and advice. A testament to the values he held.

The late 1980’s saw another major event for Peter and Eileen with the birth of their first grandchild Amelia. Around this time Peter retired and he had the great pleasure of playing a part in her early of life. Pushing the pram and taking Amelia to the park in Brentwood was a great pleasure which he savoured. In the 1990’s Amelia was joined by Oscar, Aimee and finally baby Jemma. He took great pleasure in seeing his grandchildren grow and develop. He had happy holiday breaks with the children particularly at the Evesham Hotel, where lots of fun was had in the pool and games room and also at the Blakeney Hotel. He took great pleasure when Oscar joined the army cadets at his school. He was able to attend Aimee’s wedding last year where she married Alex, who he regarded highly and in the final month, before he passed, he was offering Jemma sound advice and ideas for her new business venture. He was very proud of his daughters and his grandchildren and this provided him with great pleasure.

In the 2000’s, following a heart attack and triple bypass, he decided to move to Nottingham as he felt he might not have much time left. How wrong was he! It is 19 years later that we are only now marking his passing. Whilst living in his beloved flat he continued to drive to the Eiffel area near Cologne in Germany for holidays and this he continued to do well into his 80’s. He also enjoyed finding new dinning pubs in the local area and greatly enjoyed his jaunts with Eileen driving into the local countryside. He loved his car and held a licence for 78 years. This time was punctuated by many family events including birthdays, Christmases and anniversaries. The most recent being on 21st August this year, where he celebrated 68 good and happy years of marriage to ‘his’ Eileen. He brought Mum a lovely bouquet of flowers which Mum dried and they were used as confetti at Amelia’s and Mark’s very recent wedding. These were the things that he valued.

Peter spent some time in hospital in September and it was here that the nurses frequently referred to him as a ‘real gentleman’ and since his passing this quality has been echoed in many of the cards and tributes. Before he passed, we all had time to be with him and this was so important. He got to see his niece Margaret for the first time since the pandemic, just two weeks before he passed. Seeing her brought a big smile to his face! As did Aimee’s dog Marley, another firm favourite who he often referred to as a ‘handsome lad’. Aimee and Jemma were there to kiss and hold his hand and share happy memories as were Amelia and Oscar. Oscar pinned his war medals on to his pyjamas as he lay in bed and they talked of his escapades. His final wish was to pass away at home and this we were able to do with the help of the Hospice at Home Team from Nottingham Hospice. They supported us in fulfilling his wishes and we will be forever indebted to them, our local GP practice and the continuing and unending support that Martin gave Jane and Mum in order to achieve Peter’s wishes. Peter’s journey came to an end on Saturday 8th October; he was at home and he was with his Eileen and she was holding his hand. He was at ease and slipped peacefully away, being much loved and so well regarded by us all.

This was a long life, well lived.