DAVEY Gavin William

Gavin William Davey passed away at the age of 43 at his home in Normandy, France on 3 January 2013.

Born in March 1969, Gavin was educated at The Royal Grammer School, High Wycombe and completed his degree in Natural Science at Durham University. Embarking on a career in accountancy he worked for PricewaterhouseCoopers in the City of London. After a few years Gavin decided to take a sabbatical and travel to East Africa. Upon his return shortly afterwards, he met and later married Agnes, a French national teaching in the UK.

Together they moved to Devon and set up home in Dunsford on the edge of Dartmoor with Gavin taking up a position with the region’s largest firm of accountants, Francis Clark at their Exeter office. After a short stint in audit, Gavin was transferred to the corporate finance department working on business transactions throughout the South West. It was here that Gavin found his true role as an accountant, providing a cool head when all around him were losing theirs during particularly fraught stages of a transaction. Gavin’s ability to defuse a tense situation for the better and keep the deal on track won him many plaudits from his professional peers and clients alike. Gavin was well liked and respected throughout the business community, and his success was rewarded when he was appointed a Director of the firm in 2009.

Gavin was always the consummate sportsman. He had the ability to pick up a cricket bat, hockey stick or golf club and swing it with an effortless grace; he was also known to play with incredible honesty and integrity. As a sportsman, Gavin possessed natural leadership both on and off the field with a natural charisma which was very infectious. He was also a very relaxed individual, frequently returning to France and Agnes’ family home, Chateau de la Grande Noe in Longny au Perche, Normandy.

Gavin was a great family man, and in 2011 they all relocated to Agnes' parents' chateaux to start a cabane (tree house) accommodation business. This gave his family the space for their three children to flourish in the French countryside, and for Gavin to engage in his passion for cookery.

Gavin leaves his wife, Agnes and their three children, Matthew, Amelie and Jake, his mother Margaret and sister Helen and we would like to think he is now with his father Bill, who passed away in 1999, enjoying a round of golf together.