This eulogy reading was given at Jeff's funeral mass, St David's Church on 30th December 2022.

Good morning.  For those of you who don’t know me, I’m Jeff’s daughter, Sarah.
Whether you’re joining us via the live stream or you’re here with us in person, our family is so grateful you’re able to celebrate my Dad’s life with us. Thank you. 

Jeffrey William Peck was born on 11th December 1946 in the village of Hopkinstown just west of Pontypridd in South Wales. He was the only child of William and Lillian Peck, or Nan and Grandad as I knew them.

My grandparents met and married during the Second World War when Grandad, a soldier in the British Army, was stationed in Wales. Following the birth of my father the young family moved back to Grandad’s hometown of Greenford, London in search of better job opportunities. Dad only lived in Wales for the first six months of his life but he remained a loyal and proud Welshman until the end. He was always happiest when he was on Welsh soil.

After leaving school, Dad worked for the British Transport Docks Board before joining British European Airways in 1971. The company evolved into British Airways three years later.
For almost four decades Dad worked for British Airways helping to manage the transportation of cargo freight by air and land. He was commended for his loyalty and commitment to the company with a long service award, and he was well respected among his former colleagues too. They remember him as helpful, knowledgeable, jovial and kind - an overall smashing bloke. Naturally I’m biased, but I don’t disagree!

My mother Marie first crossed paths with my Dad whilst working in the imports office. Dad gave Mum a lift home from a British Airways ‘ramble’ - it was her first hiking trip. Mum invited Dad inside for a cup of tea, eventually offering him dinner because she was hungry and he wasn’t showing any signs of leaving! Mum’s still upset she had to sacrifice one of the pork chops she was looking forward to after a tiring afternoon hiking in heeled boots. They’d made muddy areas quite tricky to navigate and Dad had rescued her from the mud at least once during that trip!
Nonetheless, the pork chop must have done the trick as back in the office the following day Dad presented Mum with a mixtape of The Carpenters - and the rest is history. They married on 15th April 1978, with Dad promising a honeymoon in Malta.

Despite British Airways offering free travel, Dad didn’t relish the idea of journeying far afield. The Maltese honeymoon was postponed indefinitely and instead, Dad took Mum hiking in North Wales and the Lake District. Mum claims she was disappointed, but it can’t have been that bad as my brother John was born approximately 9 months later. I followed in October 1981 and Mum and Dad celebrated their 44 year wedding anniversary in April of this year.

Dad always worked very hard, often taking long shifts and overtime to pay the bills, take us on holiday and make sure our family had everything we needed. He loved exploring the UK and eventually began venturing to Mum’s home country of Ireland too. He was extremely organised with a keen eye for detail - skills which served him well both professionally and in his lifelong passion for planes, trains and buses.

Dad started ‘spotting’ as a young teenager in the 50s, developing into a serious enthusiast and photographer. His fondness for steam trains and aircraft took him and his friends to air fields, air shows, RAF bases and collieries all over the UK and occasionally Europe. His huge and meticulously organised collection of books, magazines and slides are a testament to these adventures.

Family life meant Dad wasn’t able to embark on spotting trips quite as freely as he had when he was single, but I have fond memories of holidays to Cornwall where Dad would squeeze in a trip to the Royal Navy’s Culdrose air show under the guise of a ‘family day out’.

After retiring, and with the arrival of the internet, Dad found a new way to immerse himself in his passion. His “work” as he called it involved hours each evening connecting with fellow enthusiasts and reviewing the latest photographs of the planes, trains and buses shared online. Occasionally when he was really delighted with something he’d seen he’d include us too - Mum, John and I were regularly subjected to watching a 5 minute video of low flying jets going through “The Mach Loop” in Wales. Since Dad passed I’ve discovered a newfound love for this video.

In the course of receiving messages of condolence from Dad’s fellow enthusiasts all around the world, we’ve discovered he was a fountain of knowledge for others in the field. The impact he had on people as far away as the US and New Zealand is as impressive to us as it is comforting.

Despite his worldwide network of fellow enthusiasts, Dad was definitely a homebird. Sometimes it was hard to coax him away from his beloved Stanwell. We found the most effective way of doing this was combining his passion for spotting with his love of Wales. We spent the last 13 years taking family holidays to North Wales where we’d visit steam train attractions or do a bit of casual family plane spotting at RAF Valley just outside Rhosneigr.

Dad had an affection for Beaumaris, a beautiful town on Anglesey’s south east coast. He thoroughly enjoyed ice cream from the Red Boat ice cream parlour and ate lobster rolls wherever he could find them. He loved dining at the Pier House Bistro next to the Menai Straits, looking out to the stunning mountains of Snowdonia. Dad felt at peace in Wales and could often be found wandering along the seafront enjoying a cigar.

To you Dad, thank you for everything… You helped make me who I am today and I recognise more of your traits in me than I care to admit.
Thank you for being such a loving husband, a devoted father and a wonderful grandfather. Throughout your life you showed us what it means to be a committed colleague and a loyal friend. We’re all so grateful for your intelligence, humour and kindness.
You worked so incredibly hard for our family and you were always there when we needed you. We love you and we miss you terribly but I know we’ll meet again… and despite the endless amount of stick I gave you for smoking, I might even share a cigar with you to celebrate our reunion!
In the meantime, happy ‘spotting’ up there!

The Kinks were one of Dad’s favourite bands and I’d like to finish with some lines from a song that encapsulates how we’re feeling today:

Dad…
“Thank you for the days
Those endless days, those sacred days you gave me
I'm thinking of the days
I won't forget a single day, believe me
I bless the light
I bless the light that shines on you, believe me
And though you're gone
You're with me every single day, believe me”