A family is remembering Reverend Canon Jeremy Harrold, a man whose faith and taste for adventure took him all over the world.
Many in Stowmarket will remember Revd. Harrold, for he was the vicar for St Peter and St Mary church for 12 years.
He is remembered by many for his serene, gentle nature.
“Dad was a real gentleman,” said his daughter, Caroline. “He never had a bad word to say about anyone. Dad always found a positive in absolutely everybody and everything.
“You could talk to him about anything. He’d be supportive and interested, and it was quite genuine.”
Jeremy Harrold was born in Surrey on September 8, 1931, but much of his early childhood was spent in Japan, for his father worked for the company Imperial Chemical Industries.
He returned to England to attend boarding school in Bryanston, Dorset. It was here that Jeremy learned many of the skills that would stay with him throughout his life, particularly sport and music.
After completing National Service, Jeremy studied chemistry at Hertford College, Oxford where he gained a Bachelor of Science degree.
From here, he decided to try his hand at teaching, and found a post in Berkshire where he inherited a class of boys who had all failed their chemistry O-level.
The stakes were high, for each of these boys wanted to study medicine. With hard work and patience, Jeremy managed to get each of them through the exam.
After two years, Jeremy decided to enter the church, and was ordained as a minister in 1959.
Jeremy worked for a time as a curate in Rushton, Northamptonshire, before becoming the domestic chaplain to the Bishop of London in 1961.
It was here that he met his wife of almost 60 years, Rosemary, who was secretary to the bishop at the time.
The romance made headlines in the local newspaper, said Caroline, when the pair tied the knot in Woking on July 3, 1964.
“We had some real adventures at the beginning of our life together,” said Rosemary.
Soon after their marriage, the Archdeacon of London was appointed Archbishop of Perth, and asked Jeremy to be his chaplain.
He agreed, and his and Rosemary’s first three years of marriage were spent in western Australia, where their first child, Caroline, was born in 1966.
Their eldest son, Jonathan, soon followed in 1967 and their youngest son, Christopher, arrived in 1969, completing the family of five.
The family returned to England in 1967 and lived in north London until they moved to Stowmarket in 1984.
Jeremy remained here until he retired in 1996, also becoming the Rural Dean of Stowmarket and Canon of St Edmundsbury Cathedral.
After Jeremy’s retirement, he and Rosemary moved to Woodbridge, where they became part of St John’s church and St Andrew’s church in Bredfield. Although retired, Jeremy continued to preach.
The adventures continued, for Jeremy then became chaplain for the ‘Young at Heart’ holiday programs run by travel company Thomson.
For three years, the couple would spend the winter months in Malaga, Benidorm, or Torremelinos.
“They would put us up in hotels, and every Sunday, we would take services in the bars,” explained Rosemary.
Jeremy also took on a pastoral role, for some people would be going on holiday for the first time alone in many years, after losing their partner. Others would need to talk about issues in their lives that were causing them distress.
Jeremy was also a keen musician, having learned to play the viola at age eight. Rosemary said he enjoyed being part of a community with other musicians, and he played with orchestras and in concerts until the pandemic.
Reverend Canon Jeremy Harrold died peacefully at his home, in accordance with his wishes, on January 24, 2023. In the final days of his life, he was cared for by nurses from St Elizabeth hospice.
He is survived by his wife, Rosemary, his daughter, Caroline, his two sons, Jonathan and Christoopher, his six grandchildren and one great-grandson.
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