From travelling the world to install pioneering technology under the sea to saying ‘I do’ in his 90s, an Ipswich grandfather truly made the most of every day.
It was a different world when Geoff Crank was born: the late Queen’s grandfather was on the throne, it would be matter of months until women’s right to vote was enshrined in law, and televisions would not become commonplace for another 30 years.
In his lifetime, Geoff did not only see technology boom beyond all imagination; he was at the forefront of cutting-edge developments, spending most of his working life at BT in Martlesham – although he was always very modest about his achievements.
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Geoff was born on April 18, 1928. He grew up in Devizes, Wiltshire, where he was one of six children.
He came to our part of the country when he got a job with BT, travelling down to Suffolk when the company opened its premises at Adastral Park in Martlesham.
Geoff settled in the Christchurch Park area of Ipswich, where he and his wife, Marion, and raised their two children, Sue and Michael.
Geoff was enormously respected at BT, where his skill and fierce intelligence were legendary. This was a time when submarine communications were developing, with networks of underwater cabling being laid across vast swathes of the seabed.
Geoff became an expert in his field and travelled the world to oversee the implementation of this exciting new infrastructure. He had an adventurous spirit, and worked on projects in America, India, Australia, Fiji and the South Pacific.
When he wasn’t working, Geoff was always an active person and a keen sportsman. He became a loyal supporter of Ipswich Town, and it was a point of enormous pride that his young son had once served as a ball boy.
For many years, Geoff was a member of Ipswich Sports Club, where he played table tennis and pétanque.
Marion passed away in 2006, with Geoff nursing her devotedly until the end. He was a widow for more than 10 years.
He did not expect to find love again, but this was exactly what happened in 2018, when he met Heather Leigh in a coffee shop in Woodbridge.
Overladen with bags, Heather dropped her purse and Geoff gallantly helped her pick up her belongings and then bought her a coffee. Heather, too, had been widowed and the two bonded over their respective losses.
Despite being in their later years, love blossomed. The couple tied the knot in 2019, when Heather was 86 and Geoff was 91.
Heather became an enthusiastic member of the pétanque team alongside Geoff, and together they had many more adventures, attending concerts and the theatre and enjoying holidays in Europe.
Geoff remained active and engaged with the community in Ipswich until well into his 90s. Illness curtailed many of his activities in his final year of life, but he remained positive and cheerful.
Geoff died on April 24 last year, six days after his 97th birthday.
A year on from his death, Geoff’s legacy lives on. On the anniversary of his death, Heather organised a commemorative luncheon in his honour at the Ipswich Sports Club off Henley Road, which was attended by 60 people. This included friends, family and Geoff’s former colleagues at Adastral Park.
Peter Cochrane OBE, the former Head of Research at BT gave an address. He was joined by Matt Capp, Senior Manager of the Adastral Park Strategy and Operations at the BT Group, in remembering Geoff’s warm and engaging personality and incredible grasp of new technology.
In addition, Mr Capp was presented with a commemorative booklet about Geoff and his work to be placed in the new BT Archive Centre at Adastral Park.
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