Cyril John Guningham was born on the 21st
June 1934 to Alfred, a policeman, and Edith,
a shorthand typist and former Sunday school teacher. Cyril was the third of seven children: Doreen, Norman, Bernard, Alan, Arnold (Dick) and Enid. His paternal grandmother was “Big Nan” and his maternal grandmother, “Little Nan”, was nicknamed by the boys; “NFTB” as she had a classic phrase when giving gifts of, “None For The Boys”!

Cyril took ballroom dance lessons and became an excellent foxtrot, quickstep and waltz partner. One evening in 1961, when dancing on the springy wooden floor to the live band at Plumstead Radical Club he noticed a young girl; she was “a good dancer who looked nice”. Her name was Maura. Sometime later they were walking into the Gaumont Cinema in Lewisham when he dropped into conversation “when we get married...”. It wasn’t a romantic proposal but it was humble and genuine. They were married in Lee Green in May 1964 and spent their honeymoon in Jersey.
 
In 1966 he became the proud father of David and in 1969 the family was completed with the addition of Julie. He loved his children dearly and was a kind and loving father. As a young child Julie would rush to sit on his lap and give him a cuddle as soon as he returned home from work. Cyril was always there for them, ready with a listening ear, offering good advice when needed and even taught them how to say the alphabet backwards. Cyril later proudly saw his son follow in the family tradition of working for the railways when David became a train driver and was devastated when David died suddenly in 2012.

In 1991 Cyril became a proud grandfather, firstly to Kenny, then Elizabeth in 1997 and Edward in 2000. They learnt not only how loved they were, but also how to solve maths puzzles and say their 9-times table backwards. Cyril was a keen snooker player and enjoyed games with Edward and Robin right up to the last months of his life.

Cyril had many close and loyal friends, who can’t all be mentioned here. His dancing skills remained and he and Maura loved going to dances with Joan and Steve Davey. He also had many fond memories of annual family trips to the Isle of Wight to visit the West family. Highlights of the trips included special screenings by Dave West of Laurel and Hardy films. Cyril had a great sense of humour and loved the classic Laurel and Hardy and Norman Wisdom films. He would often laugh at himself and was frequently teased with the line “oh Mr Porter” – referring to his British Rail days.

Cyril’s faith never wavered, even when they told him in February 2022 that he was terminally ill. He knew the beautiful promises set out in the scriptures for him and he knew that even as his strength failed he was precious, valued and loved by Jehovah. He attended his last meeting on Zoom just a few weeks before his death where he read a scripture without faltering. He will be remembered as a loyal, faithful servant and a good provider who was devoted to his family. He was a genuine friend, as well as an understanding, compassionate and empathetic listener. He was a true gentleman, who didn’t take himself too seriously. Those of you reading this will have your own fond memories of him. He wouldn’t want too much fuss or crying. In fact, he’d probably just conclude by saying, “thank you for coming”.