A prayer from Sally, Roger's Sister-in-Law (abridged version read at his funeral service on 2nd November 2020) Let us pray Almighty God, our heavenly Father, you promised through your Son Jesus Christ to hear us when we pray in faith. We thank you for those people who sustain us by their love and forgiveness. Thank you for the network of people with whom our lives are inextricably linked and who make up the fabric of our family and community life. We thank you particularly at this time for the life of Roger. For his work on behalf of the wider community. For his voluntary work and leadership on behalf of the Scout Association. For the courage and dignity with which he coped with accident and illness. For the times he quietly managed the assault of pain from pins in his ankles and his other health problems, not wishing to succumb to the limitation it placed on his activity. We thank you for the love he showed to the members of his family and the help he gave. Dear Lord, we remember today with deep gratitude all those who like Roger have left their mark on our lives by giving us love and laughter, but have now gone before to be with Christ. We hold them, and Roger, in our hearts, knowing that you Lord, hold them in yours. In Jesus Christ’s name Amen. Dear Lord, in this difficult period with all our lives affected by a pandemic, we recognise and commend to you Rogers unstinting work on behalf of the community both here in Reading and also in Tilmanstone. We pray for the social communities of which we are part, for their spiritual health and welfare, where people of all nations are welcomed, helped and nourished. We pray that you will make these places where all can flourish and the weak be cared for, where there is harmony and celebration. And we pray particularly for those that lead our communities. May their leadership be that of the servant and their goals those of the Kingdom of God. In Jesus Christ’s name, Amen Finally, Lord, into your hands we give Roger who has sailed the course and kept the faith – even if that faith was known only to you – and has now gone to his reward. May your light shine upon him forever and all our lives be richer because of his memory. Through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen

Roger – a Tribute. (Full Eulogy by brother David. Had to be shortened for actual service due to tight timings on service length) For those here who don’t know me, I am David, Roger’s younger brother. On behalf of the family I thank everyone for coming here today to this short service where we meet to remember Roger and his life. I also thank all who have communicated with the family over the past weeks. I’m at the stage of life where I find friends and colleagues passing away and more regularly attending funerals and memorial services. It always strikes me just how much we learn for the first time about people after they have passed away, conversations that were not held, and discovering aspects of lives of which one was not fully aware. It has been the same for Roger and I also thank everyone who has contributed in writing tributes. 2020 has of course been a difficult year. There have been many funerals such as we are having here today with restricted numbers of people able to attend. And it particularly appropriate that we meet here today on Monday 2nd November. In the church it is All Souls Day. Also known as the Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed, it is an international day of prayer and remembrance for the souls of all those who have died. And yes, as you will have noticed, today would also have been Roger’s 77 th birthday. It is hard to lose an elder brother. One’s own generation – a sibling! But even harder perhaps to lose your twin brother as there are so many memories of things you have done together and celebrations shared from birth. At least we are able to wish Many Happy Returns of the Day to Eddie, Roger’s twin over there in Canada and to send our sympathy. Eddie and my sister Kathy both emigrated to Canada many years ago and in the current circumstances cannot be with us here in person but Roger was a much loved part of the family on both sides of the Atlantic. Recollections of a lifetime flood in at these times. And so we go back 77 years to war time Birmingham. Eddie tells me he came with the 8am morning news. In those days Roger was not expected at all but duly followed 30 minutes later, and was always the heavier of the twins from birth. Roger was christened Ernest Charles Williams – Ernest after his uncle and Charles after his maternal grandfather. I followed on a couple of years later and our childhood and schooling was largely in the New Forest area on the South Coast. We lived very close to the sea which may well have had a lifelong influence on our later choice of careers. At some later point, which I cannot define precisely, my brother Ernest chose to call himself Roger. I’m not sure where the name came from. If he thought he suffered an early misfortune in choice of name at the registration of his birth, we cannot totally gloss over the fact that subsequent life did not always go smoothly for him, or indeed quite the way he might have wished. Roger told me in June that he had recently discovered papers that recounted he was rather accident prone as a child, regularly drawing blood or breaking his national Health glasses and often much else. From Eddies own recollections the twins were up for serious mischief, each no doubt leading the other into adventure, or more often it seems, misadventure. Fights as I recall were frequent in the William household. Roger clearly found schooling and indeed his whole childhood somewhat challenging and he left school at the age of 16 to start work in the retail sector. Something that would have a significant effect on the rest of his life was a motorcycle accident as a teenager causing him fractures in his lower legs. With pinning of his bones around the ankles he was able to walk again but strenuous activity and exercise was thereafter curtailed. As a young man he took a great interest in the Boy Scouts and immersed himself in improvement work to Brownsea Island in Poole Harbour after its acquisition by the National Trust and its return to public access. He spent many a weekend there clearing years of accumulated undergrowth. In due course despite his leg injuries and poor eyesight he managed to go to sea with the Naafi, the organisation that provided shop facilities on board Royal Naval Ships. He visited Antarctica, South Georgia and the Falkland Islands on HMS Protector, watching Francis Chichester rounding Cape Horn, the Middle East on HMS Abdiel, also serving on several other ships. A love for the sea continued after he left Naafi, and he took a keen interest in sailing – in due course qualifying as a Yacht skipper and sailing instructor. His employment led to him living in various places around the country and mainly seemed to revolve around procurement, planning or accounts. We did not see a lot of him for many years – I can remember visiting his homes in Basingstoke, Poole and Middlewich at different stages of his life. After his marriage to Christine in 1987 at Speen Church he settled in Reading in a new house on the Thames. In the early 1990’s my wife and I bought a narrowboat and Roger and I spent a lot of time together exploring the English canal system. It was an experience and activity he clearly enjoyed and canals remained a fascination for him – particularly the Kennet and Avon. Roger was a complex person, he was “one of a kind”, somewhat eccentric, very knowledgeable in a rather off-beat way, and with a prodigious historical memory for detail, always with an inquiring mind. He liked using power tools and indeed anything mechanical. When he visited my home in Kent he would spend his time cutting hedges, trees and grass. He was a people person, indeed a pub person, outgoing and talkative, and had so much to share and give to others. He related particularly well to all the young people in his life. He was always generous with his time and efforts, and always ready for the next adventure. He was naturally curious and seemed to have a prodigious knowledge about the strangest things going on. He often immersed himself in esoteric aspects of local culture and history and engaged in many a lengthy email and facebook comment on something that caught his interest. The computer served him well, enabling him to research into matters. He lived very independently in Reading while maintaining some very long term friendships and he was always a willing helper. He could lead a team well - he loved to be given a project. The family are so grateful for the good friends locally who have been in touch since his death. While we are sad at our loss, the family is appreciative of the gatherings we were able to share with Roger - those were all such special times. Thank you, Roger, for your enthusiasm, your willingness to cheerfully participate in any event on offer. Your sister Kathy fondly remembers revisiting the Dockyards at Portsmouth with you last year, providing a stand out time in her memory. She thanks you for crossing the Atlantic so often over the years to share in the lives of your brother and sister over there and their families. Without having children himself, Roger clearly showed huge affection for his four nieces. I would particularly thank Pippa and Ginny for handling much of the work that has arisen following his passing. Roger, it was a meaningful life over all too soon. You have left a large number of family and friends of all ages who will remember you with great affection and will miss you so much. Rest in peace.

I think you would think everyone did you proud today Uncle Rog! Your service was just as I hoped for you and this page has been a joy to read. Your chose some wonderful friends! You didn't choose your family but I know you thought you did pretty well there too! xxx