A GREAT many people gathered at Crediton Parish Church to share their memories of Bill Cherry at his funeral service.

Bill was 80 when he died last month. He had lived in Crediton all his life, apart from when he was in Africa, in what was then Rhodesia, on National Service.

He and Marie were married 52 years ago, and lived above the Cherry and Symes Garage on Union Road for a while, moving to the edge of town 45 years ago, where their four children were brought up.

Bill's father, William Arthur of the Cherry Brewery in Dublin, was a marine engineer in the Royal Navy in World War One.

Having survived more than one shipwreck, he moved to Crediton in 1923 and, with his friend Dick Symes, opened a small engineering works and garage at the top of Union Road, previously the Salvation Army Hall.

There was only one garage in the town then. Bill and Marie's son, the Rev Canon Dr Stephen Cherry, recalled: "The locals expected this new garage to last no more than a fortnight. In the end, Cherry and Symes traded for 66 years until Dad retired in 1989 when he was 60."

For several years Bill had worked with his elder brother Dick at the garage. Dick died in 2004. Bill stopped selling petrol there in the 1970s and Cherry and Symes Van Hire began, based at the garage.

"W|hen the time came to close the garage, there were 68 years' work of bits and pieces to disperse," said Stephen.

"Among them would have been parts of Austin Sevens and Standard Tens, and so on. Some of the heavy equipment had not only been installed but also made by his father.

"As a friend said 'you could be taken through the history of the motor car in those stores'."

In the 1960s and 1970s Bill enjoyed driving in Autocross, always in a Morris Minor, at first using the family car, later one he only used for Autocross.

After he retired Bill became involved in various local organisations, enjoyed his work with Age Concern, driving the minibus for people living in the villages around Crediton.

Stephen spoke about how Bill would quietly help people. "He had a special motivation and pleasure when his work involved being helpful to those such as the GPs and nurses, for whom their vehicle was a means of doing something for others," he said.

One of Crediton's characters. Bill could be a bit bluff, had a sharp sense of humour and repartee. A lovely man, much appreciated by others.

SR