Peter Melvyn Wilby: – [Heath 1959–1967]

Peter Wilby died peacefully on Sunday, , at home, surrounded by his loving family, a perfect husband of Nora, inspirational dad of Sally, Louise and Ryan, a dear father in law of Jamie, Neil and Laura, loving Dandad of Scarlett, Freya, Holly, Lily, Harrison and Hugo, a dear brother, brother in law, uncle and friend to so many.

His funeral service was held in a packed Halifax Minster on Monday, at 11am. You can download the Order of Service in PDF format.

The little ship by Maria Shriver read by Sally (Peter’s daughter)

I stood watching as the little ship sailed out to sea.

The setting sun tinted his white sails with a golden light,
and as he disappeared from sight, a voice at my side whispered, ‘He is gone.’

But the sea was a narrow one.

On the far shore a little band of friends had gathered
to watch and wait in happy expectation.

Suddenly they caught sight of the tiny sail and, at the very moment when my companion had whispered, ‘He is gone,’
a glad shout went up in joyous welcome. ‘Here he comes!’

Remember me read by Louise (Peter’s daughter)

Don’t remember me with sadness,
Don’t remember me with tears,
Remember all good times,
Shared throughout the years.

Now I am contented
That my life it was worthwhile,
Because I know by loving you
That I made you smile.

When you are walking down the street
And you’ve got me on your mind,
I’m walking in your footsteps
Only half a step behind.

So please don’t be unhappy
Just because I’m out of sight,
Remember that I’m with you
Every morning, noon and night.

The Eulogy written by the Wilby Family and read by Revd Sam Crook

Peter Melvyn Wilby was born on , the son of Laura and Gordon Wilby, and brother of Joan and Andrew.

The family lived in a back-to-back terrace in Millbank, and Peter attended St Mary’s Junior School. In his first year, he won a prize for perseverance - a quality that would define him throughout his life.

Peter and his brother Andrew were choirboys at St Mary’s Church in Mill Bank, and later, when the family moved to Highroad Well at St John’s church in Warley.

After passing his 11 plus, Peter gained a place at Heath Grammar School. At Heath, Peter began his lifelong love of rugby and was selected to play for Halifax Boys and joined Heath Rugby Club. Peter played at Heath until the age of fifty. After retiring, his passion for rugby never faded; he enjoyed going to watch Leeds Tykes, taking trips away with his Rugby friends, and watching rugby on TV, being a supporter of both England and the All Blacks — due to his connection to New Zealand.

When Peter started at Heath Grammar, he was given a bike to cycle to school, which ignited his lifelong passion for cycling. At just thirteen, with a determined spirit, Peter cycled all the way to Nottingham, on his own, to visit family.

At sixteen, Peter hitchhiked with friends to Bridlington. Walking along the promenade with his pal Malcolm, Peter spotted a beautiful girl and said to Malcolm, ‘She’s nice.’ Malcolm replied, ‘Don’t bother with her, she’s from Boothtown!’ The girl was Nora, aged fifteen, on holiday with her parents and her best friend, Lynn. Later that day, they bumped into each other at the coffee bar club and met there every night on holiday. Once back in Halifax, Peter asked Nora on a date; ever the romantic, he had planned a bus trip to Bradford, treating her to a packet of Sherbet Lemons for the journey.

In the years that followed, they enjoyed many a night down the Plebians jazz club with friends.

Three years later, on Valentine’s Day 1968, in a nightclub above the Bradford ice rink, Peter proposed. During their engagement, the pair did extensive research and decided that, once married, they would take advantage of the £10 POM scheme, with the plan to travel to Australia and later return to the UK to start a business.

On a snowy , Peter and Nora married at St Bernard’s Church in Boothtown. Peter was twenty-one and Nora nineteen. Just three weeks later, the new Mr and Mrs Wilby set sail for Australia, where they lived in Adelaide for three years. Whilst there, they made many lifelong friends, and Peter continued his passion for rugby — joining Old Collegians Rugby Club, where he was selected to trial for South Australia.

Before leaving for Australia, Peter had already begun his insurance career at The Royal and was studying for his insurance exams. Peter, who was determined to succeed in his plan of starting a business, continued studying whilst in Australia and completed his AAII qualification, alongside working at Harvey Trinders Insurance Brokers.

In 1972, Peter and Nora returned to the UK and bought a motorhome. They planned to initially travel around Europe. However, a good opportunity came up for Peter at Clarkson, Tyley and Hargreaves Insurance Brokers and, with Peter also keen to return to play rugby at Heath, they decided to settle back in Halifax.

In 1974, Sally was born, followed by Louise in 1976 and Ryan in 1978. At the time, Peter was working at Bush Hodgson Insurance Brokers. Once Ryan had started school, Peter and Nora made the bold decision to start their own business. In 1984, Wilby Insurance Brokers was founded. It took immense dedication, long hours and determination to build the business, but no matter how busy Peter was, he always came home for bedtime and would kneel at the bottom of the stairs, so all three children could climb on his back and have a horse ride up to bed — before Peter headed back to the office for the evening.

In 1995, Caravan Guard was launched, and eventually all three children officially joined the business, even though they had ‘unofficially’ been helping whilst at school. Peter’s children will continue his legacy with pride, together with their wonderful team at Caravan Guard.

Peter was a passionate supporter of many charities; he completed numerous Great Yorkshire bike rides and made significant donations to Overgate Hospice, Yorkshire Air Ambulance and Heart Research, as well as funding advanced cancer treatment equipment in Yorkshire. He also responded to Paralympian Dame Hannah Cockroft’s plea, in the Halifax Courier, to support the purchase of her first training wheelchair ... little did he realise the success that would follow for Hannah.

Following the sale of Wilby Insurance brokers and with the continued success of Caravan Guard, Peter and Nora were fortunate enough to be able to buy holiday homes in both Nelson, New Zealand and Whitby to enjoy with their family.

In later years, Peter and Nora spent their UK winters in New Zealand. Every day, Peter would jump on his bike and head off along the coastal path from Nelson to Richmond, where he would enjoy a flat white at Ambrosia — before heading home to go aqua jogging with Nora!

Peter certainly enjoyed holidays — caravanning when the children were small, and later holidays to Portugal and Northern Spain with friends and an around the world trip with Nora. Peter organised many cycling holidays and Sail Croatia adventures with close friends, enjoyed motorhome trips with Trish and Geoff and the Edinburgh Fringe with Chris and Christa. Playa Blanca was a firm favourite too, and of course Whitby, where he would always start the day with a coffee at Clara’s.

The great outdoors was Peter’s happy place. He loved cycling, walking and kayaking. He enjoyed riding his bike to Haworth, Hebden Bridge, the Yorkshire Dales and the North Yorkshire Moors — always with a coffee stop along the way, where he was often on first-name terms with the owner. He loved walking trips with the ‘first team’ group, and his favourite regular walks were across the moors to the Dog and Gun, the Thornton Viaduct and the coastal path at Whitby.

Peter had an extraordinary circle of friends: his rugby friends, clients and business contacts who became lifelong friends, neighbours and friends in Bradshaw, Ogden, Whitby, Australia and New Zealand. Wherever he went, he built connections that lasted.

Peter was a wonderful father-in-law and friend to Laura, Neil and Jamie, and the most caring, fun and devoted Dandad to Scarlett, Freya, Holly, Lily, Harrison and Hugo. Peter’s granddaughters fondly nicknamed him ‘Idol’ and liked to get a recharge of Idol energy from him through quickly repeated high fives. Harrison and Hugo, meanwhile, enjoyed nothing more than an ice cream with their Dandad at Clara’s.

Above all, Peter was one half of the most remarkable double act, ‘Nora and Peter’. For 57 years he was a wonderful husband to Nora, and certainly lived up to his affectionate nickname — ‘Peter Perfect’!

The family would like to thank Peter’s oncologist, Dr Turnbull, who was simply wonderful, and Peter enjoyed their shared connection to Whitby. The care he received from the NHS was first-class.

It meant so much to Peter when family and friends visited, called or messaged during his illness. He was particularly thankful to Chris, his bestie, for keeping a smile on his face and a sense of normality. Also, a huge thanks must go to Maureen and Ann for their delicious cooking and baked treats.

I know how much Peter meant to so many, and how greatly he will be missed. Peter’s perseverance in everything he did enabled him to live the most wonderful life, full of love, surrounded by family and friends.

Tribute by Ryan (Peter’s son)

On behalf of the whole family, I wanted to thank everyone for the overwhelming number of flowers, cards, letters and messages we have received.

They reflected not only the love for Dad and his warm, cheeky smile, which Mum used to call his ‘Billy Fury’ smile, but also the admiration for his many virtues.

The messages reflected Dad’s kindness, generosity and integrity. Many people shared their recollections of simple acts of kindness.

Dad’s brother Andrew summed him up as ‘the most honest and genuine guy you will ever meet.’ Another friend described him as ‘not only a gentleman, but a true gentle man.’

Those that knew him well knew Dad’s kindness should not be mistaken for weakness. He was a very principled person, with a deep inner strength and an unshakeable determination that he could apply to any situation when it was required, whether that was fighting for something he believed in, or just pedalling up a big hill.

I think Dad was successful in life because he genuinely cared and wanted the best for other people, whether that was clients, employees, friends or family. Dad was a wise and inspirational mentor to many. He was always very supportive and had a reassuring aura that inspired confidence in others. He was a quiet mentor who led by example.

Dad faced his illness with characteristic positivity and strength. Following his pre‑op fitness assessment, the doctor remarked that Dad was the fittest 76‑year‑old he’d ever seen, no doubt due to his love of cycling.

Some of my favourite memories with Dad were made on two wheels. From our first Great Yorkshire Bike Ride when I was just 14, and the Evening Courier came to take our picture to help raise sponsorship, to the more recent 30‑mile bike rides to Hebden Bridge for a bacon sandwich and a flat white.

I am so proud that even in his seventies, Dad would ride his mountain bike down Stairs Lane in Oxenhope. Anyone who knows that path knows it’s not for the faint‑hearted.

Looking back through all the photos reminds us how incredibly lucky we have been to create so many happy memories that we will hold close.

From Dad building us a full‑size igloo in the garden and taking us sledging behind Southlands, to the familiar sound of his laugh drifting from the conservatory while watching Blackadder or The Young Ones.

If it wasn’t laughter we could hear, it would be the sound of records played at high volume. Dad loved his music. I clearly remember one holiday where we slept out on the balcony, looking at the stars and listening to Cat Stevens, and we were once lucky enough to see his two favourite artists, Bob Dylan and Van Morrison, on the same bill.

We will all miss him so much, but we are grateful to have made so many precious memories with such an inspirational man. His legacy and values will live on, and continue to inspire us all to be our best, and to do him proud.

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