The obituary notice of Roy Frederick PYE

LONG MAY YOU RUN
(song lyrics written by Dave Halford,
to the original music of a Neil Young song)

Long may you run, long may you run,
Through chance and changes to come,
All God's creatures in the sun,
Long may you run.
Now we've been through so much together,
So many memories to share,
Good times I thought would last forever,
That you'd always be there.
But sometimes the distance is just too far,
And you can't help but wonder why.
You keep going, never knowing,
If the next hill might just be too high.
For time waits for no man, that's for sure,
The open road's no place to hide.
But I see you still, in my imagination,
Out there, running by my side.
But every race must have an end,
A finishing line to cross,
And who can say along the way,
What's been won, what's been lost.
So long may you run, long may you run,
Long may you run, long may you run.

For Roy

Our passion for running brought us together
We thought we would run for ever and ever
In the early years we set up our goals
Getting faster and stronger the gist of our roles
Starting as groups we would meet every week
Eventually a few of us would continue the streak
With Mark and Rebecca and sometimes with Dave
Running by the river we would always behave
It was my pleasure for decades to have Roy bg my side
On most Fridays and Sundays we enjoyed our long stride
We had many hard runs preparing for marathons and races
Wanting to break three hours putting us through our paces
We were so happy for Roy when his target was achieved
Although in his fifties he was extremely relieved
Our many miles together created a strong, lasting bond
He was always great company and my memories are fond
Such a very gentle man, he was the salt of the earth
Always positive and helpful, a man of true worth
We shared many adventures during our long Sunday sessions
Having lots of close shaves, busy roads provide hard lessons
After his hip operation Roy started to cycle with us
Although probably frustrated he never made a fuss
His sunny outlook and smile never faded with age
Roy had the magic knack of being easy to engage
We all miss you Roy and our lives have been really diminished
Who can say what is next and whether your adventure is finished
Wherever you are now we will always have this timeless view
Floating gently along with no socks which was so typically you
Go now to your next adventure, reunited with your true love Pat

Goodbye Roy

Bob Simpson

Keep on running

Grandad, I still struggle to accept that your no longer with us. I still expect to come in and see you there in your chair in front of GB News and hear you debating with mum all day 😂
But I know you've been to visit which is comforting.
I hope you've found everyone up there and found Ollie and Sophie for me and looking after them.
Behave up there you.
Love you always
Sammie xx

Roy.
You were a true friend, a gentleman, an inspiration and a wonderful runner.
I enjoyed our runs at GEC Copsewood on Fridays followed by drinks in the bar, great chats and our attempts at solving tricky crossword puzzles.
You were very proud to break the 3 hour barrier at the London Marathon. A great result when you were in your fifties.
You also loved representing Northbrook Athletic Club in lots of races that we ran together.
You will always be missed.

Dear Roy, you will be so missed by us and by so many other people. You were the wise owl who you could go to with whatever problem you had. Thank you so much for letting me be a part of the family. I will cherish the memories and be forever grateful. RIP now with Pat. Love from Karen and Duncan xx