Lifetime of service to the community

Published: 9:41 AM October 13, 2010 Updated: 4:04 PM November 7, 2020

WITH the passing of Dick Joy at the weekend, the parish of Landkey has lost a man who gave a lifetime of service to the community in which he was born. Mr Joy, 83, had served on the parish council for 55 years and was its chairman for 37 of them. He was a

WITH the passing of Dick Joy at the weekend, the parish of Landkey has lost a man who gave a lifetime of service to the community in which he was born.

Mr Joy, 83, had served on the parish council for 55 years and was its chairman for 37 of them.

He was also a Justice of the Peace and chairman of the local Bench for many years. His public service was marked in 1999 by the award of the MBE.

Mr Joy's name was also synonymous with that of the rare local delicacy, the mazzard, a type of cherry.

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Once prolific in the area, the fruit trees had fallen into demise. He worked to revive them and was chairman of the council when the opportunity came to acquire land as a Millennium project for the village. A new mazzard orchard was planted there as part of a public amenity area, known as the Millennium Green.

Mr Joy spent much of his working life with the highways department of Devon County Council and later as a storeman with Marks and Spencer.

He leaves three children, Ray, Heather and Marina and eight grandchildren.

The funeral is to be held at Landkey Parish Church at 2.30 pm next Monday.

North Devon District Council ward member Dave Butt said: "I have very fond memories of Dick. We worked together when I was first elected to North Devon District Council in 1987 and I knew him before that."

Dick had worked on many campaigns for Landkey, including the Landkey Link campaign to get lights and traffic safety for the link road turn off and was also involved with the campaign for a new Landkey School, he said.

"His pride and joy was, of course, the Millennium Green. He had such a fondess for natural history and the Landkey mazzard. He had such knowledge of Landkey, it was unbelievable.

"The enduring memory of him for me will be of him travelling around Landkey on his bike. Landkey will miss him and I don't think his like will be seen again in local politics. The word unique is often misused, but in Dick's case I don't think it is.