Kenneth Baynes (13 Aug 1961 - 13 Sep 2026)

Kenneth 'Ken' Baynes
13 August 1961 – 13 September 2026

Kenneth Baynes died peacefully on 13 September 2026, aged 65, surrounded by his family, after living with myeloma. A devoted husband to Davina and a hugely proud father to Robert and Hannah, he will be deeply missed by them and his many friends.

He was born in Cardiff, the youngest of four children, and grew up in Hitchin and Southend. He went to Westcliff High School and then Felsted, where he became Head of House and played in the school's unbeaten rugby and hockey teams. After a year in Munich, where he was named Player of the Year for Munich Rugby Club, he came home and joined Southend Rugby Club, turning down an opportunity to play first class representative rugby at London Scottish. He played for SRFC 1st XV for over three decades, and kept going until he was 51.

He worked for Barclays for 33 years, 28 of them in the dealing room trading the sterling money markets, and was highly respected in the City. Alongside his career he took on charity treks along the Great Wall of China, in the Himalayas and in Brazil, raising hundreds of thousands of pounds for The Children's Society.

He retired in 2013 and immediately sailed across the Atlantic with Charles. He then set himself new goals, becoming a single-figure golfer and a fully qualified Level 3 international ski instructor, and he loved nothing more than skiing with his family. As Treasurer and Co-Chairman of Southend Rugby Club he brought the club back from the brink of bankruptcy, and was made a Life Member in 2024. He was also a proud member of Rochford Hundred Golf Club for over 20 years and was honoured to be appointed RHGC Club Captain for 2026.

Competitive, funny, generous and fiercely determined, Ken faced his illness with the same spirit he brought to everything else. In his own words: "I would rather die on my feet than live on my knees."

FUNERAL
Friday 2 October 2026, 3pm
Southend Crematorium - 285 Sutton Road, Southend-on-Sea, SS2 5PX

WAKE
Southend Rugby Club, from after the service until late
(Warners Bridge Park, Sumpters Way, Southend-on-Sea SS2 5RE)

FLOWERS/DONATIONS
No flowers, please. Ken was passionate about supporting Myeloma UK to help find a cure, and the family warmly asks that you donate to the charity in his memory.

DRESS CODE
Traditional funeral wear, with club ties for members of RHGC and SRFC