Page 75 - Eclipse - Autumn/Winter 2023

IN MEMORIAM

a thriving farm practice. Jim Pengelly, to pick fruit. He also let a few properties enthusiastic as ever to engage with his
who had joined the practice in 1954, at home and abroad. Home from home fellow countrymen.
subsequently became a partner in 1964. was a small villa in the south of France, He never forgot old friends and was
Tom would later say how lucky he was to which he acquired in 1962 and through a great supporter of the RVC, which
have Jim in the business and theirs was a which he introduced many friends to was recognised by by Vicki Laing
very good working relationship. this enticing part of the world. His first (Alumni Relations) who kindly enclosed
visits to France were in the 1950s, when
Tom’s father, who had been a partner in this picture of the 2013 reunion at
the Norwich practice with John McLintock, cars were craned onto ferries in nets Hawkshead after his passing.
retired and joined Tom in 1957, where he for the channel crossing or the drive-on Most important of all to him was his
continued working until the age of 75. option was to fly from Lydd to Le Touquet
with Silver City Airlines in a Bristol 170 very close family. Angela, to whom he
Tom married Angela, a Peterborough freighter with clamshell nosedoors that was married for 65 years, survives him
girl, in 1957 and over the following 15 could carry up to three cars at a time. He together with their five children, Peter,
years they were kept busy bringing up would carry spare fuel because of the Jacquelyn, Deborah, Annemarie and Kate
a son and four daughters. Tom retired scarcity of petrol stations on the journey and 14 grandchildren. Their support
in March 1984. By then Peterborough to the south! allowed him to spend his final days at
had changed considerably, at one point He was incredibly proud of his Irish home and Tom would have been very
being the fastest growing city in Europe. heritage with visits to Dublin and proud of the attention they have all given
Farmland was developed to provide Westport always very special to him. to Angela since his passing.
housing and the practice became far In 2011, he and Angela took the
more small animal orientated.
whole family to Westport for a holiday
He kept very active after his retirement and it was very special to be able to
looking after a large garden; visitors accompany him on his last visit in 2019
were invariably taken down the garden at the age of 96, when he was as

Class of 1946 at reunion 2013 (Tom pictured second from right)

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