Donald Davey, who played a major role in the development of Penrith Building Society, has died at the age of 76.
One of the three children of the late Eva and Donald Ferguson Davey, he was born in Swindon. He had an older sister, Diana, and younger brother, Christopher.
The family moved to Kent and then Bristol before settling in Devizes, Wiltshire. Donald was educated at Devizes Grammar School.
After leaving school he joined the police, serving for 10 years with the West Midlands force. For part of this time he was a police motorcyclist.
He then joined the Heart of England Building Society, the head office of which was in Warwick. He moved to live in Southam, near Leamington Spa. In 1976 he married Bridget, a physical education teacher at Barrs Hill School, Coventry.
It was in December, 1978, that Donald joined the Penrith Building Society. He and Bridget subsequently moved to Langwathby.
When he first joined Penrith Building Society Donald held the position of assistant secretary — in modern terms the assistant chief executive officer.
After eight years with the society he was appointed its secretary and also became a director of its board. His title changed in 1990 when he became chief executive, a position he held until his retirement in 2006.
He continued to serve as a non-executive director on the society’s board until April, 2007, when he fully retired.
During his time at the society Donald was instrumental in the development of its computer system. A collaborative effort with other societies saw the development of a software and systems provider for the building society sector. The original firm, Heywood & Partners, has evolved into Mutual Vision, which is still the provider of the society’s core and digital banking platforms.
Donald’s time as chief executive saw several milestones for the society, including record lending in 1995 of £9.5 million at a time when many other lenders were reporting low lending levels, and the implementation of a new computer system in the same year.
In 2000 and 2001 the society was declared the best value lender in the What Mortgage Awards for having charged less interest than any other lender in the previous five years. Donald also oversaw the introduction of daily interest charging mortgages and an update to the society’s brand and image.
He very much believed in the mutual ethos of building societies and was very vocal in 1997 when “carpetbagging” was in the media. He, along with other building societies, sought support from the Government to take action to shield the mutual building societies from unwanted speculation.
Away from work, he was treasurer for the parochial church council at St Peter’s, Langwathby. He ran a sponsored marathon to raise money for robes for the church choir which still hang in the vestry today. He was involved with Penrith show, serving as president of the event.
During his time at the building society he worked for an Open University degree which he gained after several years of dedicated study.
His love of running dated back to his school days and he was often to be seen striding along Eden’s roads. He ran at many events and completed more than 30 marathons, including the first London Marathon. He took part in marathons in several nations, including the Greek Classic 1985, and easily posted sub three-hour times throughout his running career.
However, his running ended when a motorist passed too close, forcing him to leap for a roadside verge, injuring his Achilles tendon.
Donald then took up cycling with the same intensity he had devoted to running. He joined the Border City Wheelers club and soon started making frequent weekend trips to events.
He raced and toured throughout Europe, including in France and Greece, taking part in time trials and long distance races. Being over 6ft 4in tall, he needed custom-built bikes.
It was on a quiet weekend training ride that his bike hit an unseen pothole near Silloth, resulting in Donald being in a coma for several days and spending many weeks in hospital. This marked the finish of his cycling.
After his retirement fishing became an absorbing pursuit. Alderneuk, near Dumfries, was a fishing spot he particularly enjoyed. He competed in Troutmaster events as recently as 2020.
In 2006 Donald met Margaret and they became inseparable, marrying in 2007. They shared a love of walking in the Pennines, Lake District and along the River Eden. They had two dogs, Gordon setters called Blaize and Jet, which Donald adored. The only thing that could draw Donald away from his dogs was his love of travel, fine dining and wine.
He and Margaret enjoyed holidays in Dubai, visiting her family, as well as Greece, Turkey and Sicily. They visited the Kerala region of southern India on two occasions and he fell in love with this area. He enjoyed travelling to visit his stepdaughter Vanessa and her family in Chester, his sister Diana and brother Christopher in Wiltshire, nieces and nephews.
Donald also appreciated music and art, and quietly acquired quite a few pictures by local artists. He was very well read and enjoyed gardening, particularly growing vegetables. He developed a love of cooking during his retirement.
