DEATHS AND OBITUARIES
eventually had fifteen branches around the country . He sold the business in 1995 and retired .
Graham was a keen Wolverhampton Wanderers fan , but his first love was always rugby . He played until well into his thirties and loved watching England matches with his grandsons and sons-in-law . He was extremely passionate about politics and worked tirelessly for the local Conservative Party .
His family was at the heart of everything he did , and he was a devoted husband , father , and grandfather . He was married to Christine for sixty-one years . He had two daughters , Tracey and Nicola , three grandsons , one granddaughter and a great-grandson .
He will be remembered above all for his loving kindness , generosity , and wonderful sense of humour .
( Tracey Beynon , Nicola Deacon ) involved an update on his two favourite teams , Leicester Tigers and England . Coming in a close second was his incredible vegetable garden that never failed to yield a bumper crop .
Following retirement , George was able to pursue his love of cross-country skiing and he dedicated much energy to the Canadian Birkebeiner Society , most recently as Chief of Course and Board Vice President . He spent many happy hours helping manage the ski trails at the Blackfoot Recreational Area . An avid skier himself , he proudly completed the full Torskeklubben Birkebeiner race in 2018 at age 74 .
George passed away unexpectedly on 6 December 2021 while cross country skiing on one of his favourite trails at Blackfoot . He is survived by Margaret , his wife of 52 years , children Simon ( Tara ), Michael ( Jessica ) and Katherine ( Brad ), and his grandchildren Emma , Megan , Spencer , Will , Jonah , Ben , Ollie , Jamie and Anna . He will be sadly missed by family and colleagues .
( Edited from https :// edmontonjournal . remembering . ca / obituary / george-foxcroft-1083986107 )
School , Lebanon where David was appointed as Principal . There she made a circle of friends amongst school colleagues and in the local community , while working as a devoted volunteer in teaching refugees , and poor children in the country , at Dar Al Awlad , originally an orphanage , a school for dispossessed and needy young people .
As a teacher she was totally committed , highly conscientious , and fun to be with in the classroom . She was respected by her pupils who found her dependable , industrious and always ready to go the extra mile for them . As a manager of staff , she was a natural leader , unafraid , very supportive of colleagues , wise in her advice , and deeply compassionate about the needs of others .
She was blessed with enormous patience , a trait underpinned by her love of life and of others . As a wife to David and a mother to Sophie and Anthony , she was a loving , constant , and often unseen presence to lean on and reassure , always putting others first . Hélène died peacefully at home on 16 February 2022 , aged 60 .
Que ton âme repose en paix , tu nous manque . ( David Gray )
George Robert Foxcroft ( 53-63 ) was born on 8 December 1944 to Kate and Spencer Foxcroft in Leeds . He attended Pocklington School where he proved to be a very good sportsman . He was captain of the 2nd XV in 1961 before moving up to the 1st XV in 1962 , then becoming vice-captain in 1963 . He was swimming captain , shooting captain and a member of the athletics , cross-country and gym display teams and was awarded colours for rugby , swimming and gym display . During the school holidays , he worked on farms in the Norfolk area .
After Pocklington , he went on to complete an undergraduate degree in agriculture at the University of Nottingham . It was during this time that he met his wife , Margaret ( née Kinton ) who was also an undergraduate at the university . After obtaining his PhD in 1972 , he completed post-doctoral studies at the University of Illinois before returning to a position as lecturer and researcher at the Sutton Bonington campus at Nottingham .
Moving to Canada in 1988 , George was appointed to an NSERC-Industry Research Chair in Swine Reproductive Physiology at the University of Alberta . In 2001 he was one of the first individuals from the University of Alberta appointed to a Senior Canada Research Chair and he is widely regarded as a world leader in swine reproductive research . He championed the marriage of science and industrial application .
After family and science , George ’ s true passion was rugby , and a conversation with him inevitably
Hélène Gray ( Knights , Former Staff 88-07 ) was born and grew up in rural France in the village of D ’ Arsac in the Massif Central region . She spent her final year of school in Germany before returning to France to study Law and then English at the University of Lyon . She came to England , initially as a French Assistant at the Mount School in York , then , in 1988 , to Pocklington School as a teacher of French and German .
Gracious , elegant , methodical and highly organised , she fully embraced school life playing an active role in organising trips and exchanges whilst also taking on pastoral responsibilities . She was a Day Housemistress ( Hutton ), then Boarding Housemistress ( Orchard ) and finally Director of Boarding .
In 2007 , after 20 happy years , Hélène left Pocklington to take up the post of Head of Modern Languages at Merchiston Castle School in Edinburgh which was to become her home . She married David Gray ( 92-00 ), Former Headmaster of Pocklington School , and in 2019 , following David ’ s retirement from his role as Principal of the Erskine Stewart ’ s Melville Schools Edinburgh , she moved to Brummana High
James Weedy Hall ( 42-49 ) was born in Pocklington on 8 October 1931 to Ralph and Harriet . He was the eldest of four siblings .
James ’ enquiring mind and work ethic secured him a place as a day boy at Pocklington School where he excelled in the Sciences . Sport was also an important part of his life . He played rugby in the 1st XV , gaining his colours in 1948 and was also in the athletics team where he enjoyed success at high jump .
Despite little seafaring experience , one of his teachers , Major John Derbyshire , suggested a career in the Royal Navy . On 3 September 1949 he received a letter from the Admiralty appointing him as an Electrical Officer cadet , starting with a year at Dartmouth Royal Naval College . This was followed by three years at Clare College , Cambridge where he read Engineering , played rugby and hockey , and joined the Natural History and Yorkshire societies . His ‘ holidays ’ were filled with postings to famous Engineering factories such as Metropolitan Vickers and Bruce Peebles in Edinburgh . He went on to
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