I was saddened to hear the news last Friday that my old boss at Walker Walton Hanson has lost his fight to Cancer. He passed away at Hayward House. Gerard was 72.
I have fond memories of him. My ‘professional’ life started at Walker Walton Hanson – I had previously worked for two breweries in their Architects Departments. Gerard (or ‘G’ as he was generally known) was the ‘Rent Office Manager’ – I joined a small team – looking after repairs and maintenance.
Gerard was probably the most organised and tenacious of property managers I have ever know. He was dogged in his pursuit of arrears! He was organised at a whole new level.
He was a man who took everything in his stride. He wasn’t easily phased. The sale of the business to Savills in 1994 may not have been what he would have done – but he carried on – as before. He finished his working career at Andrew Butler – looking after some of my mutual clients.
I have never come across anyone like him since – and I doubt I ever will. It was a privilege to have known him and worked with him.
His latter years were dogged with ill-heath but when I last saw him he was his usual pragmatic self – suggesting there was little point in moaning about it. You “just need to get on with it” he told me.
G RIP.
UPDATE – The funeral is to be held at the Derby Road Crematorium in Mansfield on Friday 27th June at 1.45pm
Tim,
I was sorry to hear this via your blog. My Dad worked with Gerard at WWH and although I never knew him personally, when he heard that I had set up Trafford Oliver he took the time to write me the most lovely letter. It was full of recollections of my Dad (quite a bit of which I didn’t know) and he offered some very sound advice. I was genuinely touched.
Traff
Traff – yes that sounds like GFS! In a very long career he worked with most of Nottingham’s surveying fraternity. He will be missed by a lot of us – who looked up to him. I can only aspire to be as organised as he was! Tim