Huge funeral cortege lines Sidmouth seafront

On Wednesday 9th December Sidmouth seafront was nose to tail with a chain of 35 Fords’ vehicles as they followed the funeral procession of local businessman Derek Ford.

Derek Owen Ford, the patriarch of Fords, recently died at the age of 81. His funeral took place at Sidmouth Parish Church.

Derek was born in Sidmouth in 1934, the middle child of three boys. He attended Wellington School until the age of 16 years when he joined his grandfather, father and brothers in the family business, Fords of Sidmouth.

Derek began his working life at Fords as a trainee plumber. He had many varied roles within the firm and gradually rose through the ranks to take over the reins. Apart from a two-year stint in the Armed Forces driving tanks in Germany, Derek spent his entire working life at Fords.  The company has taken many different directions over the years, from its original existence as an ironmongers shop to the multi-faceted trade and home service it is today, with Derek always the driving force.

Derek thrived on work and took holidays because his wife Janet enjoyed them, who he married in 1957.  He was still working full time on the day he was taken ill. Always positive and upbeat his mantra during weekly Board Meetings was, “We have to keep it whizzy whizzy. Keep up beat, never in the doldrums.” There was never a problem that he couldn’t find a solution to.

Derek took a genuine interest in everyone that worked for him and received tremendous respect from his workforce as a result.

Outside of work Derek was a keen sportsman. He enjoyed squash and rugby but his real love was horses. Whilst at school he taught horse riding and would often bring home the plough horse and put it in his dad’s garage! He kept horses throughout his life and taught both his children Tim and Susie and his granddaughter, Beth to ride.

Derek and Susie regularly travelled around the UK together competing in TREC (trial riding) competitions.

Derek’s other love was motorbike trials.  He competed throughout the South West with his brother John and friend, Frank Newton. When his son, Tim, took up motorbikes and car trials Derek was more than happy to travel the length and breadth of the country as his support vehicle.

Derek will be sorely missed by all those that had the good fortune to know him.

Derek died on Thursday, 26 November. He leaves his wife, Janet, his children, Tim and Susie and two grandchildren, Beth and Alex and a successful, thriving business in Fords.