Obituaries - Methodist Conference

Obituaries - Presbyters who have died 2012/2013passed from us all so quickly. He died on 4 November 2012, in the seventy-fifth year ofhis age and the thirty-ninth year of his ministry.Derek Hinchcliffe: Born in Barnsley on 3 July 1934. A miner’s son, he won ascholarship to Queen Elizabeth Grammar School, Wakefield and graduated witha geography degree from Hatfield College, University of Durham. He taughtat Holgate Grammar School Barnsley, before becoming head of geography atWath Grammar School, where he helped develop the oratorical skills of futureForeign Secretary William Hague, whilst himself serving as a Labour Councillor inBarnsley. Derek was later a founder member of the SDP, and so he contributed toall shades of the political spectrum. He became deputy head and finally head ofBrampton Ellis School, with a mandate to guide the school safely towards closurethe following year. That year coincided with the miners’ strike, which started atCortonwood Colliery, in the same village as Brampton Ellis School. With his familybackground, Derek had enormous sympathy with miners, but was opposed tothe strike. However, he ensured that none of his pupils, whether from a miningfamily or not, suffered during that time. Both school and pit ultimately closed andDerek took early retirement from teaching in 1985. After preaching and servingMethodism all his adult life in various lay roles, including as circuit steward inBarnsley, Derek was invited to become a lay pastoral assistant in the Sheffield(North-East) Circuit. During this time he was called to offer for full-time ministry.He served in the following circuits: Rotherham, Macclesfield and Barnsley. In thefirst of these, he was a probationer minister, attending the East Midlands MinistryCourse, before ordination in Bolton in 1992. In his final circuit appointment inBarnsley, he was instrumental in building the thriving new Emmanuel Church whichopened in 2002. A man of boundless energy and eclectic interests across music,literature, art, sport, current affairs and travel, Derek lived the fullest of lives,which was celebrated at the thanksgiving service after his death following a year’sillness. Derek leaves a widow, Brenda, children Andrew, Paul and Deborah, andsix grandchildren. He died on 16 August 2012 in the seventy-ninth year of his ageand the twenty-fourth year of his ministry.Edward Hobbs: Born in St George, Bristol, on 24 September 1930. His commitment toJesus Christ came at an early age and all that he did through his life was underwritten bythat faith. He grew up at Wesley Memorial Methodist Church, taking a full part in churchlife. He was made a member in 1948 and accredited as a preacher in 1951. Althoughhe started a career in accountancy in his early twenties, he felt a deep conviction thathe should become a teacher. For many years he taught RE at Sir Bernard Lovell Schoolin Oldland Common. In his mid twenties he met Mary Todd, his minister’s daughter, andthey were married in 1958. They had four girls: Susan, Elizabeth, Helen and Rachel. Heserved the Church in many capacities at local, circuit and district level. He was the districtlocal preachers’ secretary and trained new local preachers in the Bristol (Kingswood)Methodist Conference Agenda 2013 13