Actually named Frank but preferring his middle name, John was
born on December 29th 1927 in Paddington, and grew up with his mum, dad and sister, Mary, in Sixth Avenue, Queen’s Park.
He attended Wilberforce Junior School, where his quiet air of authority and ability to set an example for others earned him selection as Head Boy in his final year. Already applying himself whole-heartedly to his studies as he did with every task through the years, he was then awarded a scholarship to Westminster Boys School.
This promising academic start was interrupted by the start of the war and at the age of about 12 he was evacuated to Kent. Staying with two or three families during the next few years, he always remarked on the irony of being sent to the relative safety of the countryside, only to actually watch the Battle of Britain take place above his head. He said his time as an evacuee was mostly one of adventure and excitement, roaming the fields with friends and finding interesting bits of planes and debris. However, when pressed over the years, he admitted the host family’s children perhaps received preferential treatment when it came to the butter rations. During a meal with one family, he remembered finding a slug in his salad but, to avoid creating any unnecessary embarrassment for everyone, he wrapped it in a lettuce leaf and swallowed it! While typical of him to deal with a situation with minimal fuss, it probably initiated his life-long aversion of the slimy creatures, which was a constant source of family teasing over the years.
He returned to a bomb damaged family home in Sixth Avenue, the road where he had first met childhood friend Reg Rigby, before signing up for National Service for two years. He trained in Catterick and was then part of the British Army of the Rhine, based at Celle in Northern Germany. In fact, Celle was the last holiday abroad for John and Jill as he always wanted to see the old town again.
Following National Service, he worked in a series of jobs including a chemical laboratory, Selfridges Book Department and Smiths while also studying in the evenings at Kenton Library to gain his Chartered Secretary qualifications. At this time, he was regularly attending QPR matches, a loyalty which began through his dad and continued during good times and bad for many years to come. He started his long table tennis career, which continued well into his mid-80s, and also played chess and participated in and watched a variety of other sports.
After gaining his qualifications, John joined ICS, in Battersea, as Company Secretary – a career move significant for one particular reason. In 1967, a 21-year-old called Jill arrived for an interview as a book-keeper in John’s department. He did not create a favourable first impression as he was late for the interview, but, more importantly, Jill got the job. However, it remains uncertain whether it was her accounting skills or mini-skirt that attracted John’s attention! A year later, John finally caught on to the numerous subtle hints and invited Jill to a football match to see England at Wembley – where he successfully wooed her with a pie! They were engaged on Valentine’s Day in 1969 and got married in October the same year in Battersea, honeymooning in Ibiza.
Wedded life started in a new home in Rydal Gardens, Wembley, where John and Jill met next-door neighbours Brian and Jane Tibble. The families went on to enjoy a great friendship, with many get-togethers and chats over the garden fence and a couple of holidays to Spain and Italy as the children grew up. John also started working at Outstanding Services in Edgware, a job that was to continue for about 30 years.
After Julie and Jamie arrived in 1971 and 1974, QPR took a back seat for a while and John became self-employed, taking up other clients as well as continuing to work at Outstanding Services. He successfully built up his business, Accountability, subsequently going into partnership with Jamie in the late 90s, as Accountability Solutions, before it then became a Limited company.
Swimming was a huge part of the Riegal family life, with a twice-daily trip to Harrow Leisure Centre that involved John ferrying both children back and forth at the crack of dawn before work. A constant presence in the stands above the pool during training sessions with his brief case and paperwork laid out in front of him, he gave the impression of being immersed in balancing the books. Somehow, though he still managed to provide detailed and extensive notes and tips on swimming stroke technique and positive thinking which he presented to his often unreceptive children in illustrated notebooks. Weekends, meanwhile, were frequently taken up travelling to various parts of the country for galas.
QPR continued to play a part in his life, a loyalty he passed on to Jamie, starting with a father-son trip to Charlton at the Old Valley, which Rangers won. He endured many defeats, relegation and disappointment over the years, but there were also many highs. He was at Wembley to see the League Cup win over West Brom in 1967, he travelled to Hillsborough with Jamie to see them win promotion to the Championship in 2004 in the last league match of the season, saw the play-off semi-final win over Oldham at Loftus Road and enjoyed the golden years from 1991 to 1994 when the team with the likes of Ferdinand and Bardsley, were top London Club. On one memorable weekend in 2014, he watched QPR win the play-off final at Wembley against Derby and his grandson, Thomas Frank, was born the next day.
Family holidays were mostly around the English countryside, including in the Malverns, Peak District and Yorkshire, and were somehow scheduled between swimming galas when the children were young, usually involving testing late night drives to a remote cottage and then daily treks through the countryside. Later, John and Jill flew out twice to see Julie in America to the mid-west state of Nebraska where she was attending university. In the last 20 years, John and Jill enjoyed a number of adventures including a hot-air balloon flight and trips to Hudson Bay in Canada, which included encounters with polar bears, Switzerland, Austria, Germany, Iceland, Boston, The Somme, as well as a tour of Ireland where John hung upside down to kiss the Blarney Stone. John and Jill also visited Julie and Chris in Washington DC twice just five or six years ago where John hiked around the Virginia countryside and walked miles around the US capital taking in the sights.
After moving from Bushey Heath to Northwood Hills in 2011, recent years have included many trips to London for various excursions such as a Jack the Ripper walk, concerts and plays, visits to museums and landmarks, and a walk over The Dome – not for the faint-hearted. In just the last few years, he attended a Star Trek convention at Marble Arch with Jamie, Michael Jackson tribute concert with the family, a classical concert at The Royal Albert Hall and A Christmas Carol in 2015.
His keen interest in watching sport continued, apart from golf of course, though he did eventually start to appreciate there was some skill involved. After maintaining a competitive edge by playing tennis with the children, well into his 60s with Jamie, John increasingly enjoyed watching the top players in recent years and, on a hot summer’s day in 2015, he attended Wimbledon on the middle Saturday with Jamie for a front row seat on Centre Court to watch both Murray and Federer play their matches.
Other enduring interests continued, including wine-making (to mixed reviews), as well as gardening, enjoying the antics and company of the family cats, eating out with friends and family, and creative writing. After grand-daughter Grace was born in 2007, he went on to amuse her with his imaginative stories. He was also a very keen DIYer and decorator, with cork tiles a particular speciality. He built the garage extension at Willow Dene and also used to repair the cars himself. He was always available to help Jamie with various jobs at his flat and house, literally until he was no longer able to do so.
Television favourites that could always be relied upon to leave him in paroxysms of laughter no matter how many times he had seen them included Dad’s Army, Fawlty Towers, Blackadder, and Only Fools and Horses. An avid fan of Neighbours, Countdown and Fifteen-to-One several years ago, they were replaced by regulars such as Poirot and Midsomer Murders in recent years, as well as countless viewings of Christmas Carol and Peppa Pig with Grace.
On a Sunday when the children were young, he would be perfectly content with a bowl of dry-roasted peanuts and a whiskey, followed by a roast dinner (with the parson’s nose if possible) and spotted dick or apple charlotte for pudding. No matter how full up, he would delight in his traditional ‘Nice starters, what’s for dinner?’ comment as Jill piled up the plates. His favourite meal was replaced by dough balls at Pizza Express in recent years, but the sweet tooth and penchant for toffees and nougat remained.
As with most jobs, projects or tasks he tackled over the years, he showed total commitment to remaining healthy and active for as long as possible with a precise and detailed strategy. He maintained his regular exercise regime and on-going research into various beneficial foods and supplements with unstinting dedication for as long as possible. He always amazed everyone with not only his physical fitness into his mid-80s but also his mental acuity which left us convinced that somehow he would always be around. While he drew the line at Facebook and smart phones, he made the transition for work to the computer age and emails in his late 60s and 70s. Never actually officially retiring, he continued doing some office work for clients until he went into hospital late last year.
Growing up during the war and then having to earn his qualifications while working full time required a dedication, determination and stoicism which John showed in all aspects of his life.
With a young family relatively late in life in his mid-40s, his energy, sacrifice, selflessness and commitment to providing the best education, advice, opportunities and environment for Julie and Jamie was constant.
He was always hard-working, driven, a perfectionist and attentive to every detail – and expected those around him to meet the same standards. Meticulous and precise, he would have been immensely satisfied to have finished his time on earth at the nice round figure of 89, exact to the day!
John’s loyalty to those close to him and his pleasure in seeing his family’s achievements and happiness were obvious. Although, he was outwardly undemonstrative and understated, he consistently proved his devotion to his family in the ways that really matter – through his integrity, dependability, trustworthiness, selfless attitude, advice and ability to always help or reassure with the right words.
As he did in life, he will continue to inspire his whole family – children and grandchildren – to fulfill their potential and meet the same high standards he achieved, through hard work, application and dedication.
His warm humour, vitality and knowledge will be missed forever by us all.