THAME GAZETTE
Tuesday, April 30, 1946
We have to report with very deep regret the passing of Mr. W. J. BRAZELL, one of Chinnor’s most respected residents who was, for many years our representative in that district. Nobody would have detected from his appearance and his upright figure that Mr. BRAZELL had reached the advanced age of 78, and right up to the day before his death his expectation of life seemed still unlimited.
On Easter Sunday, he visited his daughter, Mrs. [Adeline] EGGLETON, but on his return home he was not in his usual health. He passed away the next day as peacefully as even his best friends could have wished.
Mr. BRAZELL; who was the eldest of a family of eleven, was born at Bledlow, but resided for over 60 years in Chinnor, where he was in business as a retail grocer.
His interests outside the realm of business were amazingly diverse, ranging, as they did, from public works to literature, nature study, archaeology and religion. For three years he was a County Counsellor and was later co-opted on to Oxford Educational Committee. Right up to the time of his death he was a member of Thame Old Age Pensions Committee and one of the managers of Chinnor School, where he was a frequent visitor, his nature talks being ever welcome to the pupils who owe so much to his knowledge and kindly method of imparting it.
Among his other activities of public usefulness he was the first hon. treasurer of the Village Hall, secretary and deacon of the Congregational Chapel, originator of the P.S.A. services in the Reading Room, and an active member of the Industrial Co-partnership Association. In this regard, it is worthy of mention that he turned his own business into a co-partnership many years ago and was credited with being the pioneer of that movement in this locality. He recently had to abandon his valued lectures on Nature Study to the Women´s Institutes, of which he had delivered no less than one hundred, on account of his growing deafness.
He was cremated at Oxford on Thursday, and after the cremation his ashes were brought back to the village he had loved so well and were interred in the Church of England graveyard after an inspiring memorial service on Saturday afternoon.
Among the many floral tributes laid on the grave were:
- In memory of a beloved husband.
- With loving and cherished memories of our dear brother William, from Will and Adeline, David and Angela, and Auntie Rho.
- With our love, Grampy, from Betty, Bob and Andrew.
- With deepest sympathy and in beloved remembrance, from Emile Levermore, Millicent Garnham, and L. W. Levermore.
- With sincere sympathy and happy memories, from the Congregational Church, Chinnor.
- A token of respect and esteem with every sympathy, from the Managers and Staff of Chinnor C. of E. School.
- With deepest sympathy, from his co-partners A. J. Seymour, R. J. Witney, S. W. Frost and Jack.
- With deepest sympathy, from Mr. and Mrs. Cuthbert and Basil.
- In affectionate remembrance, from Mr. and Mrs. Ron Siarey.
- Kind remembrance, from Mr. and Mrs. Walter Johnson and Mrs. E. P. Baker.
- With deepest sympathy, from Mr. and Mrs. L. Johnston and family.
- With kind remembrance, from Mr. and Mrs. F. J. North and family and Miss A. B. White.
- With sincere sympathies and happy memories of a treasured friend-Mr. and Mrs. C. Gibbs.
- In fondest memory from “Grampie,” Veve and Trixie.
- With kindest remembrance, from Mrs. George Cocks and Edie.
- Deepest sympathy, from Mrs. Baldwyn, Mrs. Arnold and family.