“A TRUE gentleman, who will be greatly missed” was how (Robert) Bob Patten was described at his funeral service, held at East Devon Crematorium on Thursday, October 18.

Bob passed away peacefully at the Exeter Hospice on October 6, aged 70 years.

He was the much loved husband of Jackie and brother of Alan.

Celebrant Alison Orchard conducted the funeral service and she explained that Bob had asked her to conduct his funeral before he died.

She said: “He was someone I admired and it is a privilege to lead this ceremony today. Perhaps the greatest privilege was to meet with Bob back in early September to plan this occasion with him.

“I was moved by his focus on others and struck by his strong – yet accepting and peaceful - life spirit, at a time when he was clearly beginning to feel very tired and poorly indeed. I appreciated his humour and authenticity as well as his clear idea of what he wanted for this occasion.

“A country man at heart, in the introduction to his book, ‘Exmoor Custom and Song’ printed in 1974, Bob wrote, ‘For (country folk) Nature was always a dynamic and wayward force that had to be respected … not dominated …’

“Held in the highest regard by many, Bob’s sharp intellect, his enthusiasm for gaining knowledge and his fascination - with so many things - was inspirational and, unfailingly meticulous and careful, anything Bob did, was done well; he set high standards for himself and was a natural archivist and custodian.

“Bob was conscientious and quiet; loyal and dependable; calm and capable. Modest and supportive with it, he was often the ‘go to’ person when things went wrong; somehow, he’d know what to do. His was a fruitful life and a generous spirit and, so it was, that by living his life so richly, he helped others to do the same.

“But he didn’t take life – or himself - too seriously and he was excellent company.

With a love of music from a very early age and having been involved with the development of the West Gallery Music Association for nearly 30 years, Bob also requested that the West Gallery Friends take part in the service.

Bob was born on August 8, 1948, to Brenda and her husband, Bill, who, with his brother, John, ran the family haulage company called Patten Bros Ltd. They were, at the time, living on the Blackdown hills near Ilminster in Somerset, called Cudworth.

Bob was the eldest of three boys, with younger brothers, Alan, and Chris who has, sadly, already died.

Theirs was a free, country childhood and little Bob loved being outdoors: fond of wandering through the fields, and amongst the trees of the farm’s orchard and Cudworth copse, he took an intense interest in trees, especially apple trees, from a very early age. The family then moved to a small holding in Horton when Bob was 12.

The boys went to Chillington Primary School. Bob was a bright boy and good student and, when he passed his 11+, he went to the Grammar School in Ilminster.

Bob gained a place at Aberystwyth University to study chemistry.

While at university he played rugby, a sport he followed with keen interest for the rest of his life. He left with a creditable upper second degree and then headed back to Somerset where he discovered teaching was not for him at a small private school at Offwell near Honiton.

Bob had a love of mills which had been evident since he had first visited Hornsbury Mill – aged five – and would not leave, by joining Spillers in Plymouth where he studied for a City and Guilds qualification in milling. He did well and he was posted to mills in Cambridge, London and then Gateshead and Glasgow.

From his late teens Bob had also become absorbed by local and social history, he spent many an evening, weekend and holiday travelling around to local pubs, listening and taping people’s memories, stories and songs; he loved folk music and folk clubs.

Bob first met Jackie at Halsway Manor, a folk arts centre, and they married in August, 1982.

Live performance featured often in their life together and they attended concerts, theatre, talks, presentations, exhibitions and other special events.

Bob became Mill manager at Paul’s in Crediton and he and Jackie moved to Devon, settling in Morchard Bishop.

Bob set high standards and was regarded highly by colleagues.

Dave Blackford said Bob was “A true Gentleman who will be greatly missed.”

Bob and Jackie enjoyed many holidays and a visit to a preserved mill was often on the agenda.

They published “Somerset Scrapbook” and, when funding became available through the British Library Sound Archive, they created the Bob and Jacqueline Patten English Folk Music collection, and it will soon be available at the SW Heritage Trust.

The collection features unique performances of West Gallery music and shape note songs, English carols during house-visiting, wassailing and children’s rhymes, songs and games.

They had such fun going to events like the Drayton Wassail, the Padstow Hobby Horse and the Dartmoor Folk Festival.

Bob and Jackie had always harboured an ambition to buy some land and move further into the countryside. But, in the event, they fell in love with Morchard Bishop and they were reluctant to move away.

The perfect solution presented itself when they were able to bid for one of Roger Holloway’s fields at Redhill.

Bob loved apples and, on Good Friday in 1992, they planted the first four apple trees in what was to become a heritage orchard.

The mill in Crediton shut in 2003. Bob was proud that no-one left without having found a new job and Bob stayed on at Portbury Mill.

He finally left when he was 56 but Bob continued to act as a freelance consultant to the milling industry for some time.

Bob contributed to the “Morchard Messenger” and researched the biographies of most of those villagers who had lost their lives in the First and Second World Wars.

Bob was the Parish Council clerk for seven years, carrying out many duties behind the scenes.

Just days before he died, Bob remarked to Jackie: “I always tried to do my best, I often wondered if I failed. Perhaps I didn’t do so badly. I have no regrets”.

The service then included a reading, “After Apple Picking” by Robert Frost, read by Peter Rawlins, followed by further music from the West Gallery Friends.

A retiring collection was taken in aid of Exeter cancer charity FORCE, in thanks for their care, and also to the Morchard Bishop Charitable Trust.