Colin Rivington (25 Apr 1936 - 8 Mar 2021)

In loving memory of Colin Rivington who sadly passed away on 8th March 2021, aged 84 and 11/12's.
We are so sad to see him go and will miss him dearly. He was content to leave us as, in his own words, “I’ve had a good innings and have a loving family, so I am happy with the legacy I leave". So it is that we celebrate a life well lived and one in which he was much loved and admired, hence this obituary is mixed with sadness, pride and celebration.

A fantastic Dad, Brother, Grandad, Father-in-law and Uncle.

Where does one start in putting together words that capture the life of such a loved Father, Brother, Grandad, father-in-law, friend and colleague? All the usual superlatives apply - he was kind, caring, generous, loving. There was however much more to him. He had a positive impact on so many people’s lives, not least his family. He cared about his whole family: they came first and everything he did was for them. His three sons, Paul, Dave and Mike all agree they owe him so much. In raising them he did a difficult job well, for which they are very grateful. The three boys didn’t always make things easy for him or their lovely Mum, Brenda, but they got them there in the end (despite their best efforts to the contrary!). All three now have great families of their own, which is a legacy he was very proud of and eased his passing.
He was very proud of all the members in the entire family, as we are of him.

Colin leaves loving daughter-in laws Nikki, who cared so well for Colin over the many years and Sue in New Zealand who welcomed him into her family. He was Grandad to six wonderful grandchildren, Tayarni and Michael in New Zealand, Jack and Guy in Portsmouth, Jenim and Joseph in Scotland, whom he loved very much and was very proud of. Our many thanks and best wishes to Michelle and Beth for their care for Colin over the years.

He was a caring brother to Joyce, whom he loved dearly, along with his nieces Susan and Jane, and their children Imogen, Rohan, Connor, Florin and Quinn. Colin and Joyce together can take great credit for nurturing and binding such a well united and loving family.

A loving husband.

Colin was a loving husband to Brenda. They met in Newquay, Cornwall when Colin was stationed there with RAF Coastal Command, and Brenda was on holiday. They had many adventures, starting from nothing except Colin’s wages. These adventures included raising three boys, homes in a caravan, Cambridge, Maidenhead, Watton in Norfolk and West Drayton, driving holidays in Europe in the 1960’s, sailing on the Solent, driving to Turkey in a Mini Metro to mention just a few. He loved Brenda dearly and did a remarkable job of dealing with the shock of her diagnosis of early onset Alzheimer’s when she was just 52. With great dedication he lovingly cared for her for a further 8 years until she passed away in 1995. He continued to work as a senior Air Traffic Controller during this time, so he could afford the best care for her through employing a personal carer for Brenda. Once when on a TV show about Alzheimer’s he was asked why he had stayed with his wife, he replied “because I love her and I take my vows seriously, ‘in sickness and in health, till death us do part’”. There are no single instances of what defined Colin, but his dedication to Brenda was steadfast and an inspirational example. He passed away on their 63rd wedding anniversary. We like to think he hung on for that date, having made an arrangement with Brenda to surreptitiously meet up again, as they did 63 years ago when they ‘eloped’ and married in secret back in 1958.

A brief history of Colin

Colin was born at Welbeck Colliery Village in Nottinghamshire on 25th April 1936, the son of Ed (Clarence Edmund) and Winnie (Winnifred) Rivington. He grew up at the remote Ling Farm near Mansfield, where Ed was the manager, with his sisters Joyce and Mary. He worked on the farm and at Mansfield Technical College as a Technical Assistant. He grew up in a time of war and turmoil, and after the war a period of hardship but also opportunity. He was probably a bit of dreamer, spending many hours reading his Eagle comics by candlelight and planning his way to the skies (and possibly beyond). It is perhaps not surprising he joined the RAF as air crew in 1954 aged 19.
Colin loved flying. His first flight is recorded as being at 10:10 on 13th December 1954 from Swanton Morley, in an Anson ‘D’, lasting 1 hour 55 minutes. He qualified as an Air Signaller on 1st June 1955 and went on to log 1774 and 362 hours in day and night respectively, flying in Prentices, Lancaster, Hastings, Shackletons (marks I and II), Lincolns, Varsity, Comet, Beverly (which he didn’t land in!) serving as air signaller, radar and sonics operator and gunner.
Colin had several air crew training postings at Swanton Morley, Leconfield, St Mawgan and Kinloss before joining 228 squadron in March 1956 based at St Eval and St Mawgan followed by six years with 51 Squadron at Watton and Wyton. His last posting was with the Joint Air Reconnaissance Centre. He left the RAF in 1966 after twelve successful and memorable years.
His last flight was at age 84, on a Flybe trip back from Scotland to Southampton. He said it was “bloody noisy, but nothing compared to the Shackletons!”.

After the RAF

After a memorable extended family caravanning holiday in Europe, Colin joined the London Air Traffic Control Centre, going on to work for 29 years as an Air Traffic Controller, at London, Watton in Norfolk, and then back to London as a Watch Supervisor. He made many friends
We have received so many wonderful messages from his former RAF and ATC colleagues, saying he was very well liked and respected having a calm, professional approach. He was a good mentor to his younger colleagues. "Truly a great man" tells one, "He was like a father to me" says another. He was also a great mentor to his sons and Grandchildren. Colin retired from Air Traffic in 1996 and moved to the former Marines Barracks in Southsea, Portsmouth where he remained for 25 years.

The lighter side of Colin

He liked a wee dram. Oh, and the occasional G&T, “special coffee” and he knew a good glass of beer or wine when he had one. He thoroughly enjoyed the company of the friends he made in Southsea, where he was made to feel welcome. We think he just applied the same principle as he did to his family – he cared about his friends. He had a bit of sweet tooth, latterly his diet seemed to consist entirely of apple turnovers (thanks Jonathan!) and dark chocolate hobnobs.
Now we wouldn’t say he could talk the hind leg off a donkey, but well, he could when he had the wind in his sails (or a dram or G&T inside him, or sometimes both). He was never short of a story, anecdote or joke. He had a very sharp mind, thankfully right up until the end. Soduko (Sod-u-Co in his words) puzzles were no match for him. He liked making things, thinking about the best way to do a job (but not always factoring in others’ perspectives… Colin wasn’t perfect by any measure, but he was damn good).

The many other sides of Colin

Colin had some ‘funny ways’ which were sometimes frustrating to deal with. We all have our flaws and Colin was no exception, but despite these idiosyncrasies, we loved him anyway.
He showed an early interest in sailing (building or restoring a Hornet dinghy whilst in the RAF?), but it wasn’t until the three sons got into sailing through school that Colin had another chance. He fitted out his own Solo dinghy and sailed it at Maidenhead Sailing Club. We don’t think it unfair to say that, to be honest, he wasn’t that good at sailing. He was known as the Capsize King at the club, but he persevered. It wasn’t until much later that we able to put this efforts into perspective, when we learned he couldn’t actually swim!
He had wanted a bigger boat, and it was Brenda who eventually said “I’ll go to the bank and make the arrangements, you go and find one”. They bought a 26ft Westerly Griffon and spent many memorable weekends and summer holidays sailing in the Solent and the south coast, based from Gosport. Their favourite place was Newtown Creek on the Isle of Wight, where they would anchor and then drift in the dinghy on the incoming tide up the western arm, go for a drink in the pub and then return on the ebbing tide to the boat. It is on this lovely stretch of water that we will scatter Colin and Brenda’s ashes.

He loved his football, becoming a Pompey supporter soon after moving to Portsmouth.
He loved his cars and driving, particularly in the many Minis he owned over the years. He loved his gadgets, reflecting his strong technical interests. He must be the only person in history to have read the whole Mini owner’s manual cover to cover (and remember much of the detail).
Colin spent a lot of time in New Zealand visiting the southern hemisphere part of the family. This included cycling long distances and road trips, Marlin fishing, sailing and undertaking practical jobs about Dave’s various homes. He’d seen more of NZ than Dave had, even after 30 years of being there.
He cared about his community, being active with the Liberal Democrats and a regular writer to his MP on issues across a broad spectrum of concerns.
Despite an otherwise normal calm he also had a fiery impassioned temper, particularly where wrong-doing or injustices were concerned. Colin had a very firm view of what was right and wrong, and for the greater part was balanced and fair in judgement.
He was strongly independent and was so up until the end. He dreaded the thought of needing care in his last days. Indeed, he managed to pull off The Great Escape from hospital to get to somewhere peaceful (our thanks to the staff at the Rowans Hospice for looking after him, albeit very briefly).

Colin was not religious as such, but held a quiet belief that there is “something out there”. He lived his life with a clear moral compass. As one family member remarked “he lived like a very good Christian”.
In this brief obituary we will not have done justice to all that Colin was. We leave room for others to complete the story and paint a more colourful picture. Please feel free to add your thoughts and stories on this site.

A fond farewell

Colin, Dad, you are leaving a huge gap in our lives, but one we will fill with so many cherished fond memories and feelings of gratitude. Thank you. Be at peace now.

Colin's funeral service will be held at Portchester Crematorium on Wednesday 24th March 2021 at 10.30 am.
PLEASE NOTE attendance is strictly by family invitation only due to the current Covid-19 pandemic. Family flowers only by request, however donations to Alzheimer's Society would be welcome and these can be made online using the JustGiving link on this page, or sent by cheque c/o Lee Fletcher Funeral Services, 95 High Street, Cosham PO6 3AZ. Telephone 023 9238 4455