Eulogy for Roy Ball

Roy James Ball was born in Fulham on 10th December 1946, the eldest of 3 children. His school days were spent at Holman Hunt Primary and then Charles Kingsley where he was once sent home for wearing brown shoes! As a boy, Roy played sport whenever & wherever he could especially football & cricket & would turn out for any club wishing to have him. Always to be seen cycling on his bike, Roy could only rarely be found at home. His stomping ground was Bishop’s Park and the Thames pathways and during the summer holidays back in those days, you were provided with a sandwich & a drink & then it was down to you to make your own entertainment - making sure to be home before nightfall. When the time came, the bike was discarded to be replaced by a powder blue Vespa – yes the era of Roy the Mod. Even as a youngster, he was very particular about his appearance & clothing, so of course the Mod movement was very appealing to him. He was involved with Youth Club work but began a varied working career as a Solicitor’s clerk in Knightsbridge in 1963. Closer to home, he worked in the offices of Fulham Swimming Baths – a result for his brother Steve who could then get in for nothing!
Later, he became a night manager at Telfer’s and then, whilst running a team at an import/ export firm called Armfield’s he employed a sweet 16 yr old girl – my wonderful sister Carol. I say ‘sweet’, but from what I’m told our dear mother would’ve probably used 1 or 2 slightly stronger adjectives to describe her teenage years.
One evening she was waiting outside Stratford Station when Roy pulled up in his Zephyr, all suave & sophisticated, offering her a lift. She accepted, and after promptly driving into a bollard, they were united for the next 45 years.
They lived across London, from Forest Gate in the east, to Fulham in the west, Bermondsey south of the water & finally settled in the north in the cultural melting pot of Camden. Roy was a Londoner – and proud of it – the country life was never going to be for him!!
A few years later on the 23rd June they married with the wedding party being staged back at Burwash House – Roy & Carol eventually left to spend what was left of the night in a hotel – returning later that morning to clear up around all the hungover bodies still littering the flat. His beloved daughters Jo & Nat arrived and by this time Roy was working nights at Heinz. He & Carol passed like ships in the night as they juggled childcare and worklife – often they would meet in the morning at Bank Station where Roy would take Jo to nanny Connie’s, get some sleep and get back to work for the coming nightshift. He became involved with the Union and the Sports Club where he ran a football team together with the bar. I could never quite work out how he managed to have not only the time but also the energy to fit everything in! For sure sleep was not a priority. And when he did snore on the sofa, Carol was always there to let him know – “Roy, snoring!!” As if all that wasn’t enough, he was also part of Heinz’s internal firefighting team – and once, during a national fireman’s strike, the team thought they were going to be called upon to do what they’d been trained for. Fortunately, the rising ‘smoke’ turned out to be early morning mist from the nearby canal !!
Upon leaving Heinz in the late ‘90’s he turned to driving where his incredible knowledge of London’s roads held him in good stead. Roy’s easy manner, punctuality and reliability soon earned him well deserved plaudits within the industry where he chauffeured a whole host of celebrities – from Jimmy Hill to Ant & Dec! Grandchildren started to make appearances and he doted on them all – Ella, Jack, Chloe & Bert. He never retired..even as he battled the terrible disease with which he was diagnosed almost 6 years ago, he kept on working. Those years were often particularly stressful – for Roy & those around him - as the lead up to each monthly check up naturally caused anxiety over what the latest round of tests would show. Now & again there were setbacks but he kept fighting. In fact he fought to the very last despite having little or no energy left with which to fight. The care he received at the London Clinic was exemplary and their kindness & compassion touched the family. Eventually there was nothing else to be done & Roy passed away peacefully, surrounded by those he held dear, on 6th June – the anniversary of D-Day – rather poignant for someone as patriotic as Roy.

Speaking to other members of the family, friends and former work colleagues a couple of common themes repeat themselves. It’s abundantly clear that Roy was held in the very highest esteem. Just take a look at Roy’s Tribute page. Donations in excess of £3,500 together with heartfelt messages of love and respect. The family have been deeply moved by the support shown and it’s been a great source of comfort to know what Roy meant to each & every one of you. Even Roy’s GP wrote, “He was an example to any patient diagnosed with cancer that you can keep active and working despite your illness. He always inspired me.” Earlier I mentioned 2 common themes – the words respect & loyalty kept coming up. At Heinz the guys on the shop floor knew that if needed Roy could and would be very capable of doing their role. He was one of them and the contract they had together was simple. Show me respect, I’ll show you respect – show me loyalty, I’ll show you loyalty and in his role as Union convener he did just that. Considered something of a maverick by some of the Heinz hierarchy, they could not dispute that his methods paid dividends.
To my mind he was larger than life. The first time I met him I was only 6 but ‘WOW!’ – the leather jacket, the handle bar moustache and of course that E-Type Jaguar – what a motor! I could tell even then that he was a ‘proper geezer’!! Roy was the kind of person that when he said something you listened, because you knew it was worth hearing and boy could he tell a story! His ability to speak to people from all walks of life is a quality few can master. But in reality Roy was just being Roy..there was no agenda, no side to him. What you saw was what you got. If you had a problem Roy was always there with a way to help and many of you here today will have had cause to tap into his wisdom when faced with a particular challenge. He was a great help to my sister Debbie and she said to me recently, ”he just knew everything about life.”
He was an organizer but it was down to those around him to put the plans into action. Carol ran the household. Roy, carrying on from his boyhood was always out. Cleaning, washing, changing nappies? No that wasn’t Roy! The bar, the pub, the party – now that WAS Roy!! A finer whip-master you couldn’t ask for, the money placed on the bar in a pint mug, you never had to wait long for your glass to be recharged. That’s because he had ‘bar presence’ the intangible quality to get yourself noticed by the barman and not stand there for want seemed like an eternity waiting to be served. All it took was “when you’re ready” – short, sweet & to the point. Overriding this was Roy’s strong sense of ‘doing the right thing’. That meant behaving in the correct manner, ‘standing your round’ and definitely not being a source of any embarrassment. Here’s a case in point. Its 1984 and Carol has just given birth to Natalie. Roy & I hotfoot it over to Guy’s Maternity ward to see the new addition. Natalie’s fine, Carol’s a little worse for wear! Job done it’s a short walk down to the Dockhead Stores on Tooley Street to wet the baby’s head. In front of the assembled well-wishers he hands me £20, “That’s the money I owe you” he said. He didn’t owe me anything. As a young lad he just wanted to make sure I could pay my way and ‘stand my round’. I played Connect-4 against all comers until 3 the next morning…
Roy was the life & soul of the party & would organize them for any & every little reason. Many a time Carol would be ready to leave as partygoers started to drift off home. Then she would hear Roy assembling the remaining troops to get the thing going again! That meant coat off for at least the next 2-3 hours! He was like a one man crash team! He would begin with “Heart of my Heart”, followed by “Shanty Town” and of course “American Pie” wouldn’t be too far behind.
Many wonderful family times were spent with Linda & Debbie up in Worcester & the local pub, The Arboretum, was a particular favourite. John, the patron, had a magical trick where he would turn a damp bar cloth into a chicken. Of course Roy, the consummate entertainer had his own bar trick. The ‘put a full glass on the back of your head, lower to the push up position and get up again without spilling any trick’!! Always a winner that one!! He would follow that up with organizing the equally enthralling ‘levitation’ act. Seeing a 20 stone man almost fly towards the ceiling helped by 4 petite ladies is still a thing to behold!!
In the late ‘90’s the family started a tradition which still thrives today. And Roy absolutely loved it. We call it the ‘Christmas House’ and every other year we up sticks to parts far & wide from Somerset to Norfolk and rent a large house for the week – all 25 of us!! Naturally Roy would lead the pack in searching for the best local pub & promptly get in with the landlord. That was achieved by asking one question after the first round had been completed – ‘one for yourself?’ Whether he or she declined or accepted it didn’t matter. The ice was broken & communication lines were open. ‘Afters’ were assured by the end of the week!!
Whenever you were out with Roy you always felt 100% safe. Being the great communicator he was he could talk around any situation. I remember a few of us were watching Spurs play in a local pub in Somerset one Boxing Day when all of a sudden the mood changed for the worse, the Yokel classic “All Around my Hat” had started up full blast from the speakers &, with 10 minutes still to play, the TV was turned off. We started to complain but it took Roy all of 2 minutes to talk to the manager and get the TV back on. I still don’t know what he said but whatever it was it worked. Quite amazing!
The great communicator did fancy himself as a bit of a psychiatrist & would often jovially challenge Carol to bring her patients to see him. “Come on, let me talk him, I’ll sort him out!” he would say.
Roy was a kind man and he certainly helped Carol’s brother’s & sisters as 3 out of the 4 stayed for a prolonged period under the Ball roof at various times. He never complained as some might have done. He was just happy to help us out. He and Carol made a terrific team and it was plain to see they weren’t just husband & wife, they were best friends too. “How are we going to get out of this one mate?” he asked Carol a few weeks back. “I’m going to break everyone’s heart” Well, yes Roy, you’re right there. He wasn’t ready to leave us. He still had plans and was desperate see Carol was provided for. The family and his overriding love for them kept him battling against the odds. He’s left an enormous hole in all our lives but Carol, Roy will always be with you. When you’re confronted with a tricky situation and think, “I wonder what Roy would’ve done?” you’ll know instantly because you knew each other inside out. Jo & Natalie along with Linda & Steve have been enormously supportive and I’m sure Roy is tremendously proud of you. We all have our special memories of Roy. One’s we will cherish forever & it’s perfectly right that today, although we mourn, we also celebrate his life as he would’ve have wished. A life lived to the full by a man larger than life, who touched so many, in so many different ways.