Inspirational Will dies aged 106
Will Bevan working on his allotment in Lutterworth in 2006, when he was aged 99. (Picture: Andrew Carpenter/000939-15).
One of the country’s oldest men who remained independent and active well beyond his 100th birthday has died,aged 106.
William Bevan, of Orchard Road in Lutterworth, enjoyed his first plane ride at the age of 100 and flew in a helicopter to celebrate his 102nd birthday.
An allotment holder, he lived in ghis own bungalow, supported by his family, right until his death on February 26.
Mr Bevan, whose family included 15 grandchildren, more than 30 great-grandchildren and even great-great-grandchildren, is fondly remembered by many in Lutterworth.
Town councillor and former town mayor Eileen Derrick said Mr Bevan was the first person to respond to an appeal for clothes to send to countries struck by the Boxing Day Indian Ocean tsunami in 2004.
She said: “He presented a beautifully washed and ironed set of clothes.
“My husband Bob and I knew him for many years and were very fond of him. He was an extremely nice man and very well loved by everyone who knew him.”
Mr Bevan moved to the Lutterworth area in the late 1940s and worked on Lord Cromwell’s estate at Misterton Hall for a number of years until he retired in the 1970s.
He worked as a shepherd on the Cromwell estate and trained sheepdogs, many of which were bought by other farmers.
He continued to enjoy gardening and ran an allotment plot in De Verdon Road.
Mr Bevan and his late wife Liz, who died in the mid 1990s, had five children.
William (80), known to friends as Dennis, Pam Whyment (70), and Margaret Thompson (69), all live in the Lutterworth area.
The couple’s two other sons, Reece and Stan, have died in recent years.
When asked the secret to a long-life by the Mail on his 105th birthday, Mr Bevan said it was down to hard work and gardening.
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Wednesday 19 June 2013
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