DESPITE being taken at 51, and after a two-year illness, Philip Bruce Rodd, formerly of Crediton, achieved more in his lifetime than anyone could imagine.

Philip died peacefully on February 1 and was the much-loved son of Allan and Jennifer Rodd of Crediton.

He was brother to Caroline, brother-in-law to Amir, uncle to Sebastian and Joshua, partner to Debra and dear friend to so many.

He touched the hearts of countless friends and has left a legacy of friendship and happy memories across the globe.

His funeral service was held at the Church of the Holy Cross, Crediton on Friday, February 21.

Caroline read the eulogy at the service.

She said: “We both grew up here in Crediton. Philip and I and were Christened in this very church. We spent our childhood climbing trees at Highfield, surrounded by our family and friends.

“But the little boy who accidentally spun his toy cowboy pistol through Dad’s study window, didn’t stay little for very long and soon grew into the tall teenager, who shot blistering tennis aces past me on the tennis court and with his breakdancing friends, carried a ghetto blaster and roll of lino around Crediton so they could drop and spin anywhere!

“At the age of eight, Philip moved to Exeter School and whilst he excelled academically, with apparently minimal effort, he also found time to play basketball, hockey, cricket, golf and rugby (also seemingly effortlessly).

“He went on to study Chemistry at Nottingham University.

“Evidence of his love of travel first emerged when he went round the world with his friend Alex for their gap year.

“He did settle down long enough after this, to work for Panel Kerr and Forster, winning awards for achieving 11th, second and sixth national placements for his chartered accountancy exams. He received the awards in the Chartered Institute in the City of London.”

“He moved to Frankfurt, Germany to work for three years, (becoming fluent in German to add to his already fluent French).

“There he was headhunted by Citibank and after a brief return to London, moved to Tokyo, where he developed a passion for the culture and people of South East Asia. During his 10 years in Tokyo, he became fluent in Japanese and completely embraced the culture, travelling the Japanese islands and snowboarding every weekend with friends like Chris and David.

“Professionally, he transferred from Citibank to Ernst and Young, moving to their HK office in 2010 to become Senior Partner and developing a worldwide expertise in anti-money laundering for their Asia-Pacific section.

“I am told he was a good and patient leader, particularly known for building and developing successful teams and supporting his team members.

“Phil was always highly intelligent and driven, the combination of which resulted in his many professional achievements. But Phil always put more store by the values of integrity and humanity, and considered material possessions and self-image to be of no consequence.

“He was his own hardest task master, pushing himself to excel academically and professionally, and succeeding of course. But he also pushed himself to squeeze the most out of every minute, learning Thai cookery, playing golf, swimming, hiking, competing in trail running competitions in exotic countries such as Namibia, Sri Lanka and Iran and forging countless friendships around the world.

“During his time in HK, he met Debra and they spent five happy years together living in their flat in the Mid-levels, overlooking the bay in HK.

“He found his much loved French house in 2000 and we were lucky to spend many family holidays there, during which he would usually bomb off in his beloved Lotus for a spin to Monaco or swim a casual 20 laps in the pool before breakfast!

“If you sat next to him on the ‘plane, you might mistake him for a casual tourist in his trainers, t-shirt and running trousers, rather than the highly successful businessman he was.

“You might also mistake the small faded rucksack, with its selection of super mini toiletries he carried, for his hand luggage - when in fact it was “his luggage”, even for a two-week trip. He somehow managed to magically produce the suit he wore to our wedding in France out of this tardis of a rucksack.

“Phil was never one to blow his own trumpet nor did he have the patience to wait for the luggage carousel. He was honest, unassuming, totally disinterested in political games and probably the last person I know to upgrade from a scruffy Nokia to an iphone.

“He shunned public transport wherever possible, preferring to walk everywhere (very, very fast). Those travelling with him soon learned to travel extremely light, always wear trainers and be prepared to eat almost anything!

“Phil had an appreciation of the arts - particularly traditional Japanese and modern Asian.

“He loved to travel and at the last count had been to more than 45 different countries - including North Korea, Vietnam, Iran, Kuwait, Cambodia, Malaysia and the Philippines.

“But however far from home he was, he always found time to call my parents daily and he arranged some wonderful trips for them, with him in Germany, Japan and HK. Together, they planned and built Sakura, a lovely home for them to live in here in Crediton.

“Multi-faceted in every way - highly intelligent, quick thinking, a superbly analytical brain, modest, hilariously funny, a wicked sense of humour, a ruthless mimic, a charming smile, sometimes a man of few words, sometimes a man of a devastatingly quick wit, a loyal and solid friend, curious about the world, and a good son, brother and uncle.

“He didn’t deserve the blow fate dealt him. We have all shared the pain and sadness of the last two years, coupled with the total frustration that despite all the love and support, he was not able to return to full health and the life he would want to lead.

“But it is a marker of the person he was that his personality shone through and he touched the hearts of those who cared for him be it Gleneagles Hospital in HK, GRH, BIRU or Green Tree Court.

“Countless times have I heard - ‘we have such a soft spot for him, he is really our favourite’.

“My parents, Amir, Sebastian, Joshua, Debra and myself have received such enormous love, help and support from all of his friends and relatives throughout this difficult time and we recognise it as a measure of the truly high esteem he was held in by all.

“But in this time of such great sadness, we will do him a huge injustice if we forget everything else that came before his illness and all of his amazing achievements and the person he was. I challenge you each now to take a minute to find a happy memory of Phil - it’s not hard, the choice is huge - perhaps you will remember the comedian, the snowboarder, the charming smile, the twinkly eyes, the cheeky joke, the ‘Phil fast legs runner’, the cook, the traveller, the golfer, the linguist, the amazing brain, the wonderful friend, the uncle, brother-in-law, partner, brother and son.

“We owe it to him to recognise and remember the very full life he led, packing more in than most could do in several lifetimes and to be so very very thankful for the healthy 50 years we had.”

Donations in memory of Philip are for the British Heart Foundation and may be sent to A White and Sons, Albert Road, Crediton EX17 2BZ.