A pillar of the Chorleywood community who lived in the village for half a century has passed away aged 92.
Geoffrey Liley was born on April 9, 1931, near Batley, Yorkshire. He was one of three brothers who moved with their parents to Bricket Wood during the war. He attended Watford Grammar School for boys.
Geoffrey lived in Chorleywood for 50 years and was an active member of the community, especially after retiring as a senior bank official at Citi Bank. He was involved with the local Conservatives and the Royal British Legion and was particularly invested in Remembrance Day events. He eventually became chairman of the parish council.
His son Gary said: “He wanted to achieve things. He was very anti-bureaucracy. He had a saying: ‘You only have meetings if you can’t make decisions.’ He had a ‘get on with it’ attitude.”
As well as living in Chorleywood, Geoffrey lived in the USA and India, which is where he met his wife, Sheila. Geoffrey had been stationed at Citi Bank’s office in Kolkata when he met Sheila, a local Indian woman. Gary explains that while there are some gaps in records which he is endeavouring to fill, he describes his mother as a kind of “princess” and says the two wed in 1960.
Geoffrey and Sheila had four daughters and two sons, 14 grandchildren and five great-grandchildren. They were happily married until Sheila’s death two years ago.
Geoffrey was “mad on rugby” and was captain of the Reformed Kolkata Rugby Club in 1957-58. He was also a keen cricketer and was a member of Middlesex County Cricket Rugby Club and vice president of Chorleywood Cricket Club.
Describing his father’s character, Gary said: “He was dry-humoured, incredibly honest and fiercely loyal. He was very family-focused and, all in all, a proper English gentleman.”
0 Comments