Clem Edge
Died 29th January, 2005 aged 84 years
Address given at funeral service, Tuesday 8th February 2005 at the church of St. Michael and All Angels, Alsop-en-le-Dale
I can still remember as if it were yesterday the first time I met Clem, just over eight years ago. I had come up from London and was visiting Alsop, along with the parishes in the group, to decide whether I wanted to come here to be vicar. Clem was standing by the church gate with William Bunting, waiting for me. It didn’t take me long, after a few minutes conversation with them, to realise that I definitely did want to come.
That was typical of Clem, as I’m sure you’ll all be well aware. He had such personality, he could talk to anyone, and had the kind of easy-going nature which gave everyone the sense that they were important to him. There would never be a problem with conversation when Clem was around – he always had something to say.
I of course knew him only for the last years of his long life. He lived all of the 84 years of his life in Alsop – indeed he lived all of those years either in Oxdales Farm or Oxdales House. He was one of six children born to Frank and Emma Edge – the others being Cynthia, Margery, Monica, May and Tom. Being a farming family, this meant that farming was a way of life to Clem from his earliest years right until just about the very end. He would help with the milking before school, as a boy – and of course there would have been none of the mechanisation of today. So this was the environment, naturally, in which he and Ruth, along with Peter, Judith, Mark and John lived for so many years. He stopped working on the farm only when physically he could do no more.
This church of St. Michael and All Angels was central to Clem’s life from his youngest years. He was baptised here, and sang in the choir (yes, there used to be a choir); he and Ruth were married here. He was on the church council for several decades, of which he was churchwarden for an impressive 29 years. I’m sure that Clem had something do with the very enlightened practice of not actually holding church council meetings, except an AGM once a year – and of course things still got done just as effectively. He was known for being the one who rang the bell – for even more years than the period of his churchwardenship. One could almost call him the elder statesman of the church – people recognised his natural authority and wisdom, and quite often would look to him for guidance or for a decision on an important matter. And yet there was no pretentiousness or pomposity about him – he would always play his part in church events, inviting the children to splat the rat at the summer fair, or something similar. He was a very shrewd and perceptive member of the group which oversaw the installation of the Millennium window, and I know I will think of Clem from time to time as I look upon that window in the weeks and months to come.
There was so much in which Clem was involved, and he threw himself vigorously into many areas of local life. He was on the Ashbourne Show committee for many years – and received the rare accolade of being made an Honorary Life Member. He was on the Parwich Conservative Committee for many years. There can have been few farmers over quite a wide area who didn’t know him – and he would always enjoy the conversations he would have at Bakewell market, where he was noticeable in his trademark tweeds and hat – giving quite the appearance of being a gentleman farmer. He knew how to enjoy life – for many years also enjoying farmers’ holidays. There was certainly never a dull moment with him. His stories were legendary, going back to the last war and before. I sure many of you will have particular stories you will associate with him. He told me of the dry stone walling competition many years ago, in which he did rather well – obviously this was a source of some pride to him. He was in the local defence volunteers during the war – you may have heard the one about the ammunition which was buried for safe keeping, but then nobody could find it.
Life was not very easy for Clem in recent years. He cared for Ruth over many months as her health declined, and then over the last year or two he himself found it increasingly difficult to get about. But he even took up cooking – through necessity – after Ruth died, and still tried as much as he could to keep up with the news. He always had a view on current events, and one could always expect sound and perceptive advice from him on farming matters. And of course he loved his grandchildren – he was an excellent grandfather to them in all kinds of ways.
It is not easy to say farewell. But as we reflect on Clem’s life, I’m sure we can see how much there is to give thanks for – for a man who gave so much to his family, his farm, his church and his parish. Let us then commend him to God, in the knowledge that Alsop will remember him for many years to come – and that the effect he had on the lives of so many people will not be forgotten, but will endure. Amen.
Christopher Harrison, vicar
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