Edward Durdy (Passed away 8 Aug 2020)

In loving memory of Edward Durdy who passed away peacefully at home on 8th August 2020.

About Eddie....
Born to Constance and Horace, Eddie was the middle child with an older brother and younger sister. His early years were not easy and he spent many years under medical supervision for brittle bone disease, something he would overcome.

He was an exceptionally bright child who loved history and literature and was accepted into grammar school. Sadly, his father died when Eddie was young and his death shaped the man Eddie was to become with responsibilities of an adult falling unto his young shoulders which took away the opportunity of a good education.

Following school, Eddie joined the RAF in 1955 and was Initially based at Compton Basset on radar, before transferring to Egypt then on to West Germany at the border of East Germany. It was a time that he cherished and found a deep sense of justice and fairness. He never talked about his work in the RAF but we do know that he had to sign the Official Secret Act.

On leaving the RAF, Eddie joined ICI Fibres in 1958 and married Mazel, his soulmate, in 1960.

Eddie rose up the career path within ICI working closely with Sir Harvey Jones to secure the Kite mark for quality within record time and was recognised for his contribution to industry with an invitation to the Buckingham Palace Garden Party.

He was a very clever man but was never afraid of having a laugh at his own expense or indeed pranks on colleagues and friends. He was very active and founded the Doncaster Gliding Club with his brother as a teenager, and then the ICI Fibres’ Cricket Club in the early 1960s.

Whether it’s fun-filled family holidays in the Lake District to more exotic locations like Asia and Australia with Mazel, Eddie loved adventure which continued to more recent holidays including a cruise around the Norwegian Fjords to a lifelong dream of visiting WW1 Battlefields across France and Belgium in 2019.

Eddie strongly believed in the importance of giving back to the community in which he lived; following his retirement, Eddie devoted his time to the local community with a mission to improve the lives of everyone in Hatfield and Doncaster.

He became a Governor at Doncaster & Bassetlaw NHS Foundation fighting for the rights of patients; a school governor at Travis School and Crookesbroom Primary School and was invited to become a Magistrate which he sadly declined due to his failing hearing. However, one of the proudest moments was when he became Mayor of Hatfield after sitting as a Hatfield Parish Councillor for many years. His dedication never wavered and he quietly delivered many achievements for the village, some big, some small, including planting trees along Thorne Road to fighting for the Hatfield Link Road for almost 20 years.

However, his biggest achievement and devotion was for his family. For 58 years he shared everything life can offer with Mazel and they were a great team supporting each other and their loving children, Christopher, Philip and Elizabeth, daughters-in-law, Julie and Penni, and grandchildren, Tatjana, Paige, Isabel, Zoe and Imogen in every way.