Francis Collett G30VT
Funeral of Francis Collett G30VT
A large crowd of mourners including several former workmates from De Havilland and amateur radio enthusiasts, gathered to pay their last respects to Frank who died at the age of 92.
A standard bearer from the Royal Naval Association led the cortege into the church. There followed a service which Frank himself had devised. Malcolm G0UYN gave the eulogy and told us of Frank's early life in the navy, and how he came to Stevenage working for the Development Corporation as an electrician. It was later after he had transferred to De Havilland that he co-founded the Stevenage and District Amateur Radio Society of which he became a lifelong member, a keen CW operator and contester. Malcolm also spoke of his other hobbies, painting in acrylics and poetry.
Frank's greatest joy had been his family. He had been married to Betty for more than 65 years, blessed with children, grand children and great grand children. His grand daughter Julie read one of Frank's poems, which had obviously given her much pleasure when she was a child, and to remind us of how gifts are passed across the generations, his grand son Steven read a poem that he had composed specially for the occasion.
