The Tebay area lost a popular man with many interests — including a passion for local football — with the death at the Royal Lancaster Infirmary of Reg Capstick, aged 83.
He was a “Tebay lad” through and through, with his grandmother having run the community’s Cross Keys Inn and Station Hotel. His parents, George and Margaret Capstick, brought their baby son James Reginald home to the same house in which he lived until recent times.
The young Reg passed the 11-plus examination and studied at Appleby Grammar School before going on to gain his teacher training qualifications at Chester.
However, he told friends that as a young man he was not always as well behaved as his shining academic achievements would suggest, speaking of many dances and young ladies. One such event resulted in him having an overnight walk from Sedbergh after he stayed too long with a girl and friends who had been going to give him a lift left without him.
Reg became an English teacher at Hough Side High School, in Leeds, where he remained from 1960 until the early 1980s. During his career he progressed to become head of the English department and later of the lower school. He was heavily involved in running the school football teams and producing school plays.
Reg also went on many school camping trips organised in a highly haphazard way by a rather eccentric colleague. He would often tell of waking up in some remote corner of Scotland only to find that, having arrived late the previous night, they had pitched their tents on the edge of a slope which had turned into a cascading river overnight.
Reg loved literature, particularly drama. He brought this to the classroom where he would read aloud with great passion from Shakespeare, endeavouring to ignite enthusiasm in his pupils. Many former students talk of their love of books which was inspired by Reg.
He was a popular and inspiring teacher with a great deal of patience — as many in the Tebay area can confirm. They can remember him teaching them to play tennis, coming into the primary school to talk about history and involving them in church services.
Out of the classroom, Reg was heavily involved in amateur dramatics, being a long serving member of Adel Players. He also enjoyed competing in pub quizzes.
He loved life in Leeds, but had to take early retirement after it was found he had been suffering from type one diabetes.
He returned to Tebay where worked as clerk to Tebay school governors and the parish council as well as running a job club, helping many people find employment after redundancy. He had a keen interest in local history and was even compiling a book about Tebay, but unfortunately never managed to complete this.
Another of his passions was football, particularly at local level. He was regularly to be seen standing on the windswept field in Old Tebay watching Lunesdale United play. Not content to be just a spectator, he served as secretary, chairman and president of the club.
He also served on the committee of the Westmorland County Football Association and Westmorland League. In recognition of his dedication, the Lunesdale team held a minute’s silence before a recent match to honour one of their own.
A man of deep Christian faith, he became increasingly involved with the village’s St James Church after returning to Tebay following his retirement. As well as being a regular worshipper, he was a reader, churchwarden, led services, helped with Sunday school and served as secretary of both the parochial church council and deanery synod.
In recognition of his service he received the honour of becoming reader emeritus — a well deserved accolade.
He had many friends in and around Tebay, including Steve Dunkinson and Joanne Nugent, who he first met when he welcomed the the couple and their young family after they moved to the village.
He became a regular at the tea room they ran, enjoyed regular Sunday lunches at their home and stayed with them for about three months after being discharged from hospital, before returning to his own home.
Reg loved Tebay and it saddened him greatly that he had to move away in his final years. The funeral service was held at St James Church, Tebay.
Glyn Jones Funeral Directors, Appleby, had charge of the arrangements.
