Denton a village in South Norfolk, England

Cyril 'George' Pointer – 1918 – 2012

From the Parish News – January 2013

Many bygone memories were recalled by the Rev Peter Smalls at the funeral on 26th November at St Mary's Church, Denton of George Pointer, a quiet but well respected parishioner who had lived all his life in the village.

George was born in February 1918 at Street Farm, the youngest of three brothers; Percival (Percy) the oldest was well known as an accomplished organist; and John, the other brother, was well known to most of us as he died in 2009 again having lived all his life in Denton. George unfortunately contracted polio before he was seven years old, which must have made life very difficult as a child and it left him with a disability he had to cope with all his life. The brothers attended Denton School and the Sunday School at the Chapel almost opposite their home. George as a boy loved to help his Grandfather Revel at Chapel Farm. In 1931 the family moved to "Lodge Farm", Middle Road (now East Acre) where John and George farmed in partnership with their father. George helped his mother on the dairy side of the farm making cheese and butter to supply to the local shops, and helping with the milking. During the war he could not go into the forces owing to his disability, but he became a motor cycle dispatch rider for the "Home-Guard".

In 1947 George married Dorothy Frost and they moved into a neighbouring cottage at Middle Road. They were both animal lovers and had a passion for Sheltie Collies which were very dear to them. When the family left Lodge Farm in the mid sixties George was employed in the machine shop at Howard Rotovators, he and Dorothy then moved into a bungalow built on an adjacent meadow to their cottage, where they still kept calves, pigs and chickens. George had always had a keen interest in carpentry and metal work, and on retirement from Howards spent a lot of time in his workshop making a variety of furniture and wrought iron work. One of his later achievements was the churchyard gates at the end of the car-park at St Mary's Church.

Dorothy died 16 years ago, but George adapted very well to looking after himself, making his own bread and chutneys - the last batch he made only a few weeks before he died at the age of 94.

He had a dry sense of humour coupled with a determination to be independent. He never succumbed to his disability which must have been a great burden to carry throughout his life, a characteristic that probably was part of his achieving the age he did and brought admiration from all who knew him. He was thought of with much love and affection by all his neighbours and especially his family. He was an individualist and true character who will be sadly missed.

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