A keen bellringer, sports fan and long-serving member of Penrith’s institute of advanced motorists group, has died, aged 91.
Kenneth (Ken) Twentyman was born at Greystoke in 1929, the son of William and Olive Twentyman.
The family lived in Icold Road, before moving to Newlands Terrace, Penrith, to where Ken’s grandfather, Isaac Lamb, who had been head woodman on Lowther Estates, had retired.
Ken was educated at the town’s Brunswick Road Infants and the Boy’s Council School, before attending Queen Elizabeth Grammar School.
On leaving school in 1945, his first job was at Althams, Penrith, where he worked as an office clerk for a couple of years before being called up into the Army in 1947 to do national service, based predominantly in Elgin, Scotland, where he did instructor training for officers.
While there he played football and won several medals and trophies for shooting and athletics.
In 1949, he returned to Penrith and went to work for Beacon Trailers for a few years before going to do office work for builder Robert Reay, based for a while near what is now Kemplay roundabout where they were building police houses.
He continued playing football and started to play for Penrith Weavers, in the Eden Valley League, whose ground was based at the Gilwilly estate, until the club folded and he went to play for Greystoke.
He also played for football for Lazonby and cricket for Stainton.
In the early 1960s, he moved on to Lowther builders, which became Lowther Construction, and he worked there until his retirement in 1993.
He married the late Margaret, who died 14 years ago, at Christ Church, Penrith, in 1952, and the had one son, Keith, who was born in 1960.
Ken was a very keen bellringer. He first started ringing as soon as ringing was allowed at St Andrew’s after the Second World War, but really took it up as a hobby in the early 1970s, when he went back to ringing at St Andrew’s and had continued to be a mainstay of the ringers there for the rest of his life.
He served as chairman and president of Penrith bellringers for about five years, and, having been born in Greystoke, he also helped establish a team of bellringers in the village and for a number of years he would drive out there to help out with practice sessions and ring for weddings.
Tributes have been paid by Penrith ringers, saying “every bellringing team should have a Ken Twentyman”.
If ever any visiting ringers came to a practice night at St Andrew’s, Ken always ensured they were made welcome and that they were invited to the pub afterwards.
Ken, who passed his advanced driving test in 1969, became an advanced driving instructor with the Penrith group of the institute of advanced motorists.
He served as chairman of the group for a time and continued to be an observer up until about five years ago.
His other main interest was sport, and after hanging up his playing boots, he became a season ticket holder for Carlisle United, and only gave it up last year. He rarely missed a home match in half a century of watching the club.
Son Keith said his father would be remembered as being extremely friendly, pleasant and outgoing. “If he went into a group of people, he would want to know who they were, he would start having a chat and find out where they were from,” said Mr Twentyman.
He is survived by son Keith, daughter-in-law Annette, two grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
A private funeral service took place at Christ Church, followed by interment at Penrith Cemetery. Richardsons Funeral Directors, Victoria Road, had charge of the arrangements.
