OBITUARY: Roy Rayson - former long-serving Petfoods employee and country pursuits enthusiast

The family of Roy Rayson, whose funeral is on Tuesday, said he ‘achieved a lot in his life from very humble beginnings’.

Many will also know him through his marriage to Melton midwife, Maureen, who delivered more than 1,000 local babies.

Roy’s son, Guy, told the Melton Times: “As a man he was always hard working, most likely as a result of his up bringing.

“He had a no nonsense approach to life and he was a family man who liked to leave his mark.

"My father was a real character and a throw back to times gone by.”

Roy was born in Buckminster in October 1931, the middle child of three.

His father, John, sadly passed away from pnemonia when Roy was just three – his death was attributed to the effects of him being gassed in the First World War.

Roy started work as an apprentice engineer at Aveling Barfords in Grantham, at the age of 14, before joining the merchant navy, serving for five years as an engineering officer. He enjoyed this job and visited 38 different countries.

A job at De Haviland Aircraft company in North London followed for two years but the country boy didn't really enjoy city life and he returned to his home area to work at Petfoods in Melton.

Roy joined as as a refrigeration engineer in 1960 and worked his way up to engineering manager before retiring after 25 years at the age of 53 in 1985.

He had met local girl Maureen (nee Haywood) while on leave from the merchant navy and they married in Waltham-on-the-Wolds in May 1957.

The couple had two children – Clare as well as Guy – six grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.

After training as a nurse, Maureen joined the staff at the old St Mary’s Hospital in Melton in 1963 as a midwife before working as a local community midwife from 1977. Sister Rayson, who died in 2008, kept a detailed diary of all her deliveries which had numbered 1,285 when she retired in 1992.

In his younger years, Roy biked to work every day and after joining a local cycling club he soon became Lincolnshire road race champion at the 25-mile distance.

He had a love for the great outdoors and a life-long interest in field sports, including shooting and fishing.

Roy was well known in shooting circles and, much to his delight, there was a four-page feature on him in the Shooting Gazette magazine in May 2016.

He also enjoyed researching family and local history, with a special interest in local war veterans.

Roy, who also enjoyed bell ringing, had very neat and distinctive hand writing and, in his spare time, produced written tributes to World War Two fighter pilot ace, Johnny Johnson, and Victoria Cross holder, Albert Ball . These, along with others, can be seen in some local churches and at Belvoir Castle.

Roy’s funeral is on Tuesday at 2.45pm at Buckminster Church, followed by burial in the churchyard.

Donations are invited to Parkinson's UK.