The funeral has taken place of a quiet and gentle man who worked for many years as a departmental head at the Cumberland Pencil Factory in Keswick.
James Askew, best known as Jim, died three weeks after celebrating his 99th birthday at the Riverside Care Home at Morpeth in Northumberland. He died of a heart attack at hospital in Cramlington.
He and his wife, Audrey, were huge supporters of Keswick’s Theatre by the Lake when it was being built, and remained so until they retired and relocated out of the area.
Mary Elliott, customer experience manager at the theatre, said: “Theatre by the Lake has a wonderful group of volunteers who are invaluable to helping us provide an excellent welcome and experience to everyone that visits the theatre.
“When I first started my role as front of house manager Jim and Audrey were part of that welcoming group of volunteers and staff that made my role so much easier.
“Jim was a quiet and gentle man, lovely with customers and an asset to our team. We wished them well in their retirement and were always pleased to see them when they returned to visit.”
Jim was part of the theatre club that was based at the old Blue Box and would occasionally appear in productions and he had also performed on the stage at the Theatre by the Lake in minor roles during the summer season.
Born in Newcastle, Jim grew up in a family that was very much associated with railways. His father worked for a railway company in the city while his mother was a clerk in the box office at Riding Mill station on the Tyne Valley Line, which runs between Newcastle and Carlisle via Hexham. His grandfather had been the first stationmaster at Riding Mill.
Jim attended Newcastle Grammar School and went into banking as a junior clerk before being called up to the RAF during the Second World War as part of the ground crew based at Boulmer.
He was also stationed for a time in Germany and was badly affected by the aftermath of the allied bombing raids.
He hoped to become an architect after the war but his father had died when Jim was aged 11 and the need to find a job was paramount and he came to Keswick and started work at the pencil factory when it was privately owned by the Greenwood family.
He started work there in December 1949 and earned £325 per annum and was employed at the factory as a departmental head until he retired aged 60.
Jim was the first man to sail a Mirror dinghy on Derwentwater and it was while talking of his hobby at a small social gathering in Keswick that he attracted the attention of his future wife, Audrey.
“We both happened to be at a gathering in Keswick and he was talking about sailing,” said Audrey, 86, who used to own and run Cartmells of Keswick Ltd, Footfitters, on Lake Road. “I said that I would not mind having a go at that.”
The couple were married at Southey Street Methodist Church and were married for 47 years.
Jim enjoyed new technology and taught himself how to use a computer and became adept at producing posters and letters and his help was invaluable as Audrey helped set up Carlisle and the Lakes Hospice at Home. “He was the one who made it come alive for me,” said Audrey.
A very quiet and no fuss funeral service attended by family and friends took place. Donations, if desired, should be made to Theatre by the Lake.
