Andrew Napier 12th September 1951 – 13th May 2022.

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Kevin Thurlow
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Joined: Wed Apr 30, 2008 12:28 pm

Andrew Napier 12th September 1951 – 13th May 2022.

Post by Kevin Thurlow » Tue May 31, 2022 10:29 pm

Andrew Napier was born at his grandparents’ address in 26th Avenue, North Hull Estate to parents, Pauline and Alec. The eldest of 5 children with brother, Peter and sisters, Susan, Alison & Melanie, he attended in turn 21st Avenue Junior School, Brunswick Avenue High School, Hull High School for Commerce and Sir Henry Cooper School, Orchard Park. On leaving full time education Andrew took up employment within the Inland Revenue, continuing to work there until retirement.

Andrew met his wife, Margaret, at Bailey’s Disco, which was located in Hull city centre. They were married on 20th October 1973 at Hessle Wesley Church (now Tower Hill) and subsequently had two children, Richard and Rachel, who have lived in Canada and New Zealand at various times. There are now three grandchildren, Luke, Amelia and Isabella.

Andrew was introduced to chess by a Mr. Milner of Hull Chess Club. (I suspect that this must have been the late James Herbert Milner, founder of St. Andrews Chess Club, Hull and Hull & District Chess Association President from 1975–1978.) He was the first person to respond to a circular dated 11th March 1974 that I issued to all local Civil Service Departments, inviting responses from anyone interested in forming a Civil Service chess team to enter the Hull & District League. For around 30 years we worked together as the main officers of the club, Andrew as treasurer/secretary and me as secretary/club captain at different times.

A reliable and cheerful club member, Andrew was Hull Civil Service Chess Club Champion for season 1982/83, Yorkshire & Humberside Civil Service Individual Lightning Chess Champion in 1983 and Runner-Up in the Hull Civil Service Individual Lightning Chess Championship in 1983/84 and 1985/86. His other interests included photography, reading science fiction and Marvel comics, gardening and following Liverpool Football Club.

Apart from having type 2 diabetes, Andrew had always enjoyed good health until June 2017, when he was diagnosed with dementia. Margaret looked after him well until several weeks ago, when he went to live in the Olde Coach House Residential Care Home in Hessle. That was where he died.

I lost contact with Andrew in the mid-2,000s but just after the start of the pandemic, met Mike Duffield, another former Hull Civil Service Chess Club member, when he was working as a volunteer in a charity shop in Beverley. He informed me that a number of former Inland Revenue employees went out together socially every month or so and were accompanied by Andrew. Their meetings had been curtailed by rules introduced to curb the pandemic but he would contact me when life returned to normal. When he telephoned me, I anticipated seeing Andrew once again. The news of his passing came as a blow. Andrew’s life was celebrated prior to cremation at the Haltemprice Crematorium on Wednesday 25th May 2022. A large number of former colleagues and friends were in attendance. Farewell and rest in peace ‘Andy’.

David G. Mills.
30th May 2022.

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