A singer and guitarist who danced his way into the Guinness Book of Records, Richard Gordon Lightfoot has died, aged 81.
Gordon, as he was known to family and friends, was a popular member of the Penrith community and served as a firefighter at Penrith Fire Station for nearly two decades, retiring at the rank of Station Officer.
He was the son of Richard and Annie Lightfoot and brother to Anne. As a youngster, Gordon attended the Boys County School and Tynefield School.
Following school, he worked as an apprentice electrician for Robert Reay and Son and it was during that time that he met his future wife, Eileen, whilst doing an electrical job at the Milk Marketing Board on Gilwilly industrial estate, where she worked.
But service was always his calling and Gordon joined the Royal Air Force in 1958 as a electrical mechanic and ground crew, working on a range of aircraft including the Vulcan. He did his training at Sheppard Air base in Wichita Falls, Texas, and served in the Aden conflict on the early 1960s.
Gordon and Eileen were married at St Andrew’s Church, Penrith, in 1961 and their son, Richard, was born in 1962, whilst Gordon was stationed at Dishforth.
The family also spent time in Catterick before Eileen moved back to Penrith to be with her mother Sally, who was unwell.
Discharged with exemplary conduct from the RAF in June, 1970, Gordon went on to join British Telecom as a telephone engineer. A year later, twins Deborah and Darren were born.
Gordon was a popular and well-known member of the Penrith community. He loved music and was guitarist in The Black Jacks, whose other members were Roger Campbell, Colin Routledge, Trevor Brogden, Malcolm Bardgett, David Fowler, David Ellwood and Arthur Tallentire.
The Black Jacks were described by the Herald at the time as “cool cats” and were regulars at the Penrith Drill Hall and other venues around the town.
But it was in 1960 that Gordon and his friends really made their mark with a successful world record attempt in a non-stop jive. It was a story of determination and tenacity over two months , March and April, 1960.
To the beat of Rock around the Clock the first record attempt began on Friday, March 18, in the Old Drill Hall.
The group was supported by over 4,000 people and after a gruelling night, in which Eileen in particular had to be strapped up to continue, they completed 27 hours on the dance floor and claimed the record.
But their triumph was short lived. Two days later the Penrith time was exceeded by a 31-hour jive by youngsters in Gainsborough.
Not be outdone, the Penrith dancers started all over again at 9am on Friday, April 22, determined to win the record back. The Gainsborough time was beaten, only for word to come through from Guernsey, that a group of dancers had completed a formidable 39 hours.
They rose to the challenge, dancing their way to 40 hours at 1am on Sunday, April 24 by which time the only accompaniment was the beat of a single drum as dance music in the early hours of Sunday morning was thought improper.
Following in his father’s footsteps, Gordon joined the fire service at Penrith in 1976. He served until 1995, when he retired at the rank of station officer.
Incredibly devoted to the service, his colleagues and the Penrith community, he helped to save many hundreds of lives in his time there.
He was involved in many major incidents, not least the Lockerbie air disaster in 1988.
Following the Fire Service he worked at Jubilee House — a recuperation home for injured firefighters — and before he finally fully retired he indulged his love of DIY with a part-time role at B&Q.
Gordon and Eileen moved to Calverley, Leeds, in 2004. Whilst they loved Penrith, they wanted to be closer to Richard, Deborah and Darren, who all lived in Leeds.
In 2005, their first grandchild, India, was born and Gordon was smitten. Living so close they looked after India and her brother Zachary a few times each week once Deborah returned to work, and Gordon was a regular fixture in Calverley Church of England School playground picking up the children.
He always arrived extra early so he could have a chat with the other parents and grandparents.
In 2011, his grandson AJ was born and Gordon loved to play with him while his parents were busy in their fish and chip shop.
Since his death, Gordon’s family have been overwhelmed by the kind messages and love for him. He was always so friendly and chatty and would help anyone. He will be missed greatly.
