Former Meltham town councillor and chairman Denis Ingham passed away on Wednesday, June 18, at Mirfield Hospital.
Denis, 83, was born in Huddersfield on November 2, 1930, and spent his whole life in and around Huddersfield.
He grew up just outside Meltham in Healy House and attended school in Netherton before marrying Margaret Goddard on January 19, 1952, at the age of 21 to start what was to become a very large family.
He was a former worker at the Cooperative, Meltham brickworks, David Browns Tractors and the Vinery near Healey House before retiring and seeing out his last years at Royd Court retirement home in Mirfield.
Denis spent eight years on Meltham Town Council and was Chairman from 2002-2003 planting a British oak tree in the Robert Ashton Memorial Park in Meltham to commemorate the Queens Golden Jubilee in 2002.
Denis was also an active member of New North Road Baptist Church, Meltham Baptist Church and the Zion Baptist church in Mirfield. He also devoted a lot of time helping many charities including; CART (Christian African Relief Trust), Christian Aid, Meltham Credit Union and the Crossroads charity shop in Meltham. This devotion to charity saw him honoured by the Queen on March 24, 2005 when he was a recipient of Maundy Money at Wakefield Cathedral.
His favourite pastimes used included bowling (for Meltham Bowling Club), billiards (for New North Road Baptist Church) and more recently a quiet game of snooker in his retirement home and a trip to watch cricket in Mirfield on a Saturday afternoon.
In January 2012 Denis celebrated 60 years of marriage to his late wife Margaret who passed away in May 2012.
Denis will be dearly missed not only by his eight children, 18 grand children and 23 great grand children but also by many others whose life he has touched in the past 83 years.
The funeral took place at the Zion Baptist Church in Mirfield and Huddersfield Crematorium. If anybody wished to make any donations then please do so to CART (Christian African Relief Trust)
