John Christopher Hartley: – [Heath 1954–1961]
John Hartley died at Calderdale Royal Hospital on , two days after his wife, Margaret, also died at Calderdale Royal Hospital.
A service of thanksgiving for the lives of Margaret and John was held at 11 am on Friday, 26 July 2024 at Boothtown Methodist Church.
At the service Reverend Colin Sherwood spoke about their early lives:
Margaret and John were both born during the war, and grew up in Halifax.
They were both raised in families with strong connections to the Methodist tradition — Margaret in Boothtown and Akroyden, and John in Pellon — and made lifelong friends through chapel, Sunday School and youth clubs.
From his youth, John was an enthusiastic sportsman and loved spending time outdoors. He played cricket, enjoyed walking, and was also a keen cyclist, often setting off from Halifax on his three speed bike with friends to cover some astonishing distances.
Margaret’s strengths were in the social side of sport, as a member of the local tennis club where she took charge of organising events and outings.
They both had strong links into their local communities and offered their time to support others. It was as officers at Boy’s Brigade that they met and fell in love, getting married in 1975.
They shared a lifelong love for Yorkshire, especially loving days out in the Dales together. Once married, they made Halifax their home and remained rooted to the town and the wider West Yorkshire area for their working lives.
Margaret joined Barclays Bank after leaving Crossley’s School and worked on the counter of the branch in Halifax for many years, finding great friends among her colleagues and getting to know almost everyone who banked there!
Following his education at Heath School, John trained as an accountant and worked at David Brown Tractors.
In the late 1980s they set up their own travel business — Hartleys Of Calderdale — merging Margaret’s passion for bringing people together and her superb organisational skills, John’s attention to detail and focus on facts and their shared love for travel, nature and socialising.
Away from work, being with family and friends was their number one priority, and remained so throughout their lives.
I’ll now handover to their nieces Helen and Catherine to share some family recollections.
Helen said:
When we think about Margaret and John, it is always as a pair, rarely apart.
They had a combination of skills and talents that made them fantastic together. Those same qualities made them a wonderful auntie and uncle, and then great auntie and uncle too - as well as sister, brother in law and friends to so many.
Both had generosity in spades — giving so much of their time and energy to their local communities through Boys Brigade, chapel, and many other good causes. Plus, their very generous catering — no one ever left 74 The Drive hungry!
You could see all this come together with their business. Hartleys’ trips and holidays had a genuine family feel, which reflected the family effort.
Margaret’s mum Elsie made scones and mince pies by the hundreds; Margaret and John served teas, coffees and cakes endlessly on coaches up and down the country. Nieces were occasionally drafted in to help, and found that everyone on the coach would know who they were already!
Their level of care and attention carried across every element of the business. Itineraries were perfectly planned, with information about destinations written out ready to be shared by John on the coach microphone.
New shows and musicals were researched and in the early days, family members were lined up to secure tickets — especially when Michael Ball was starring...
Every customer was valued and treated with care. When one lady was unwell on a holiday, Margaret took her cups of tea in bed and stayed with her until she fell asleep.
Catherine continued:
On a trip to Ladies Day at Ascot, Margaret and John set out trestle tables full of a homemade buffet picnic along the side of the coach while rain fell and the wind blew, keeping the exceptionally well dressed ladies of Halifax and their hats dry inside until everything was ready to serve.
We held umbrellas over the guests as they helped themselves to the spread, and settled them back into the coach with glasses of champagne.
Margaret and John were soaked, but their customers stayed dry and had a great afternoon at the races.
With this wonderful personal approach, the Hartleys built a business that took them from Grassington Christmas Fair to the West End of London, Norfolk to Norway, and many more places, accompanied by many hundreds of customers who quickly became friends.
Once they made the choice to retire from this thriving business, their zest for organising and socialising was directed into trips, holidays and events with their many friends, and they ticked off some dream destinations with group holidays.
New Year Eve parties at 74 The Drive were renowned for the food, the whisky and the very late nights — in their 70s Margaret and John were always later to bed than their younger relatives, often by several hours.
There are too many stories to tell here today, but so many very special memories — trips to Shibden park, weekend sleepovers for Plot night, beetle drive, culinary creations like cheesy wheezy — all linked together with love.
Margaret and John have been a very special, very close presence for us as we’ve grown up, and for our families too. We will miss them so very much, always.
With thanks to Reverend Colin Sherwood, Helen and Catherine for sharing these memories.
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