A much-loved pub landlord who was diagnosed with cancer just weeks after his wife died suddenly has passed away.
Graham Frederick Sturgess, who was at the heart of the community along with his wife Maggie for decades when they ran a string of pubs including the Rose and Crown in Wooburn Green and the Derehams Inn in Loudwater, died at home on Mother’s Day, March 27, aged 71.
He had been diagnosed with lung cancer on December 16, 2020, just weeks after landlady Maggie collapsed in the car park of Stoke Mandeville Hospital, suffering a stroke, and died on December 1. She was 61.
The diagnosis came just two days before his wife’s funeral and he had an operation in February 2021 to remove the cancerous part of his left lung.
Tragically, the cancer returned in November 2021, but it was too late for further treatment and he died at his daughter Lizzie’s home, where he had lived after selling the Derehams Inn and retiring last year.
But Lizzie, one of Graham’s four children, said her dad “still made the most of his life” despite his cancer diagnosis and “enjoyed a drink or two with his friends and spending time with his family”.
She said: “Dad sold the pub last year to retire and moved in with my husband, my daughter Sophie, son Finley, our dog, Rolo and Oreo (two pub dogs) and I.
“He especially enjoyed our family holiday to Cyprus in October, as it was something our mum had hoped to do but never got the chance to do.
“Dad was an extremely generous and kind person, he remained positive even with his diagnosis and losing mum.
“He cherished the small things and made the most out of life, he will be forever missed but he is at peace now.
“We are extremely grateful to the staff at Rennie Grove and the district nurse team who helped facilitate dad’s wish to die at home and the support they gave us a family during a very difficult time.”
Graham was born on February 11, 1951, to Gordon and Gladys Sturgess and grew up in Hazlemere. He worked as a painter and decorator at Wrights in Great Missenden before starting his own decorating company.
He met Margaret – known as Maggie – in 1992 while she was working behind the bar of the now-demolished Royal Oak pub and they married on February 13, 1993.
They ran the Rose and Crown in Wooburn Green together, until they bought the Derehams Inn in 1998 as a freehouse.
He enjoyed darts, dominoes and crib and played in a local league.
He leaves behind four children, Simone, Paul, Daniel and Lizzie, seven grandchildren, , Laura, Toni, Ashleigh, Sophie, Sienna, Finley and Alyssa and one great-grandchild Levi. He had two siblings, eldest brother Tony and younger brother Melvin.
Graham’s funeral is at 10am on Thursday, April 14, at Chiltern Crematorium. Family flowers only, donations to Rennie Grove welcomed.
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