A VENTNOR character with a lifelong commitment to football, Reginald Colley, has died aged 96 at Downside House, Ventnor.
Mr Colley, known as Reg, was born in Freshwater in January 1921 and grew up in Freshwater and Wroxall.
During his childhood, his love of football grew and he told many stories about playing with just one boot as his family could not afford two.
At 18, he was called up to join the army and became a member of the Royal Artillery. He was posted to the Far East during the Second World War and spent some of his time in Malaya.
He was stationed in an Allied prisoner of war camp looking after prisoners and also worked his way up to the rank of sergeant.
In October 1943, he married his childhood sweetheart, Myra Godfrey Cotton, in Niton and shortly afterwards settled in St Catherine’s View, Ventnor, which was to become the family home for the next 73 years.
After the war, he worked for two Ventnor building firms as a plumber and a general builder. He set up his own business and worked on building and repairing many houses around Ventnor and Niton. He also rented the National Trust Upper Yard in Upper Ventnor where he kept a pony called Boris.
He played football for many teams, including Wroxall, Ventnor and Niton.
Once his playing career finished, he went on to become a referee and ran the line for the Hampshire Senior Cup at Fratton Park. He was a strong Pompey fan.
He was also the secretary of the referees’ association and moved on to become chairman of both Ventnor and Ventnor youth teams.
He was an avid gardener but when his wife died in 1997, he lost some of his passion for life’s interests.
He lived on his own until a fall a few weeks before Christmas and he died on January 16.
He leaves his children, Stephen, Lesley and Simon, eight grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren.
His funeral will be held at the IW Crematorium on a date yet to be arranged.