John Wallace Grant (31 Aug 1932 - 3 Mar 2019)

John Wallace Grant, known as Wally, was born in 1932 in rural Lincolnshire. He was raised by his mother, Violet, in Norfolk Street, Boston and won his scholarship to Boston Grammar School in 1943. He did well academically and at the age of 16, in November 1948, was offered the position of Clerk with the Boston & District Trustee Savings Bank. Wally did his National Service with the Royal Air Force at Cranwell during 1951 and 1952. His discharge letter describes Corporal Grant as "above average intelligence, trustworthy and very cooperative". For a while he played chess for the county team and he loved a good crossword.

In March 1959 Wally joined Shipping and Coal Company Limited at Boston Dock as a Wages and Accounts Clerk. He married Anne Button, the daughter of a school teacher at nearby Swineshead on 17th March 1962 at St. Mary's Church. The following year his daughter Sally was born. Wally did well with Shipping and Coal and in 1965 was promoted to a position at its London headquarters. Anne and Wally made their home at Edison Avenue in Hornchurch, Essex where their son Stephen was born in 1969. As Wally's career developed, he and his young family moved to Lawrence Road in Romford. He could never be described as a practical man. He took to making coffee tables for family and friends but none of them seemed to find a home. However, he did tell a good story, like the time he was travelling with a French colleague in his prized Austin Princess when it suddenly caught fire. Being used to the French motoring practise of carrying a fire extinguisher the Frenchman grabbed hold of the next best thing ... which turned out to be Stephen's potty. The car was completely destroyed. Despite such mishaps Wally's career developed with Shipping & Coal and by the start of the 1980's he was heading up its UK operation with his office taking up the entire penthouse floor of the World Trade Centre at St. Catherine's Dock in London.

In 1989 Wally was charged with establishing a coal importing facility for the company (now called SSM Coal) at Immingham. That brought him and Anne back to his home county of Lincolnshire. Wally loved his work but in 1990 he decided it was time to retire. For many years Wally had written the company accounts for SSM and also for several other UK businesses owned by its Dutch parent company. His retirement was agreed on the basis that he would continue to prepare the annual accounts for these businesses, which he did in his garden shed. So the Inland Revenue's corporate tax inspector for Lincolnshire found that the accounts of the largest business he had ever dealt with were to be scrutinised surrounded by gardening implements in the wooden shed at his home in Lincoln.

In 2006 Stephen and his partner Lucy gave him his grandson, Sydney, of whom he was intensely proud.

During his retirement Wally loved gardening. He mainly grew flowers and vegetables and particularly enjoyed propagating roses. He kept his brain sharp and active by scrutinising the business markets and keeping up with current affairs. He also loved a pint or two of John Smith's bitter.

His wife, Anne, died in December 2015 after a prolonged illness. Wally remained reasonably active until his last year when pains in his legs increasingly restricted his mobility. In January 2019 he was diagnosed with oesophagus cancer. The cancer took hold more quickly than anyone had expected and he died at his home on 3rd March 2019. His funeral will be held at Lincoln Crematorium on 10th April 2019 at 12:30.

Wally was a lovely, funny, intelligent man. He'll be mourned; he'll be missed and he will always be loved by his family.