Terence Edward 'Terry' Clare (18 Sep 1937 - 4 Sep 2020)

In loving memory of Terence Edward 'Terry' Clare who sadly passed away on 4th September 2020, aged 82 years.

Terry will be so greatly missed by his loving wife Patricia, children Michael, Stephen, Catherine and Robert, extended
family and many friends from far and wide.

Family Flowers only please may be sent by 8.00 am on Friday 9th October 2020, c/o John Weir Funeral Directors, 130-132 High Street, Rainham, Kent, ME8 8AR. Telephone No. 01634 373111. Donations for 'The Friends of The Wisdom Hospice' may be made by cheque made payable to the charity and sent c/o John Weir, Rainham or made online via this page. Thank you.

Terry was born in Oxford on the 18th September 1937.

He went to Harrow County School and left in 1954 to start work in the Foreign Department of the London and Lancashire Insurance Company in Chancery Lane where he met his wife Pat.
Terry moved on during his working career to Glyn Mills & Co. (Merchant Bankers), and then to a Share Registration Company and finally to the RAC where he was Manager of the Membership Department and then finally Manager of Specialist Car Clubs.
His career came to a sudden end when he sustained a head injury at work which resulted in Epilepsy.

Terry married Pat in Beckenham in 1962 and then moved to Rainham in Kent where the Vicar of St Margaret’s Church James Clifford asked Terry to set up a club for the young people of Rainham,
He started Rainham Youth Club which became the largest ‘open’ club in South East, this also led to Terry becoming a member of Gillingham Youth Leaders Council and Chairman of Upbury Manor Youth Wing.
His interest in helping young people continued when he and his wife fostered teenage girls for over 20 years.

Terry had always been interested in Ants, Bees and Wasps, he attended a beekeeping course run by Ken Beevor.
From then on Bee’s were his Life !.
He started Beekeeping about 40 years ago and slowly built up his experience, expertise and number of hives.
In 1995 when the Verroa mite arrived in Britain he lost most of his colonies, however undaunted he built and expanded his colonies further.

Terry loved imparting knowledge and in the early part of each year he ran a ten week ‘Introductory Beekeeping Course’ which ran for 20 years, the last course was in 2017.
Locally he gave talks about beekeeping to most of the women institutes, Gardening clubs, Horticulture Societies and Beekeeping associations.
He was on the Beekeeping Committee of the Kent County Show and supplied all the bees for the very popular live bee demonstrations.

Terry travelled widely lecturing in Beekeeping and Queen rearing to Associations in Scotland, England , and the Island of Ireland. He went to Dublin, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Slovenia and Norway.
His interest in the ’native bee’ resulted in him becoming President of BIBBA (Bee Improvement Bee Breeders Association).

Terry’s year started with a visit to the Ulster Beekeepers in February for their Conference, then in April to the BBKA Spring Convention where he did a workshop on Queen rearing, then onto the Kent show in July. In August he went to the FIBKA conference in Gormanston near Dublin, another visit to Belfast in October and finally to the National Honey show in November.

Terry lived a full life with enthusiasm and at full speed, even during lockdown he remodelled and replanted two large herbaceous borders in the garden.

Terry felt unwell and became ill at the end of July and was admitted to Hospital for a number of weeks and then onto the Wisdom Hospice for the last twelve days of his life and passed away peacefully on the evening of the 4th September at the age of 82.

Terry leaves a widow , four children and 12 grandchildren and many friends.

In appreciation of the care, consideration of Terry and also the whole family by the Wisdom Hospice in his remaining days the family would like all donations in his memory to The Friends of the Wisdom Hospice Rochester.

Please find attached instructions to make any donation you can.