Tributes to John Jeffery, 1944-2004
John's was the first friendly face I saw at the end of the London Marathon and I felt honoured to have his support. Even last week at the relays, he shouted at me to catch the group of runners in front, which motivated me even more to try hard. I'm sure he will be greatly missed by all at Belgrave.
Louise Cooper
Very sad and shocked to hear the news about John Jeffery. He would always greet me with "Hello Noisy". I will always remember the times we would run around the course supporting the teams together. He will be sadly missed.
Maria (Noisy) and Stephen Sharp
I will always remember John at the time when I first joined BAF and was present at the World Cup at Crystal Palace. John was supportive and just a nice guy.
Bill Adcocks
... please pass on my very sincere condolences. It is a tragic loss to Belgrave and Athletics, let alone his family. Dreadful news.
John Powell
I'm absolutely shocked and saddened to hear the news about John and can't quite believe it. He will be hugely missed by Belgrave and our contemporaries for his outstanding contribution to our sport.
Catherine Eastham
... truly unbelievable and very, very sad! He was a great man and a great supporter. I am sure he had a whale of a time supporting us on Saturday and he now has the best view of all of us from which to watch Belgrave's future
triumphs. He will be very sadly missed by me and all of the people he knew. It is only fitting that he sees the team he loves (and has spent so much time encouraging) winning ...
David Anderson
As an athlete I took a lot for granted. It was only when I took on the role of Honorary Secretary of Belgrave and Company Secretary of BsportsP that I began to appreciate how hard working John was. I think a lot of people would be surprised if they knew how much John put into Belgrave, not just physically but emotionally and financially too.
Roger Alsop
... Absolutely stunned to hear about John's passing. I last saw him at Derek Johnson's celebration event and
spoke to him last weekend. My sincere condolences to all at Belgrave and, of course John's family, at this appalling loss.
Tom Pollak
... very shocked to see the news on the website regarding John Jeffery. He certainly will be a great loss to the club, and obviously I would like to pass on my sympathies to his family and everyone who knew him.
Jonathan Blackledge
Having just returned from our holiday we were looking forward to seeing John to tell him all about it as we always exchanged information about places we had both visited. What a shock for us to read our e-mail about the loss of John, not only a friend but also a wonderful supporter of Belgrave Harriers. Our thoughts are with Maureen and his family at this sad time.
Reg Hopkins and Pat
I was shocked to hear of John's death. He was well liked and respected by all who knew him. He was an understanding and sympathetic listener who commanded the respect of the many athletes he dealt with. His time as England Assistant Team Manager, Administrator of the SCAAA and his part in organising the Crystal Palace major meetings meant that he knew more people outside Belgrave than in - and that's saying something!
He will be sorely missed by the Club and replacing him will be no easy matter. But now is the time to give praise to his huge contribution towards our premier place in British athletics. Our teams owed much to his presence.
John and Maureen stayed with us here in Sydney a couple of years ago and we look back on that visit with fond memories. Our deepest sympathies go to Maureen who suffers the biggest loss of all.
Clive Shippen
I am shocked and deeply saddened to learn of the death of John Jeffery. To me, John represented everything that is great about Belgrave: determination, dedication, energy, and, above all else, fun. What a loss to us all! My sincerest condolences to his family.
Justin Chaston
I would like to send condolences to John's family and to all at Belgrave for this sad loss.
I got to know John well when I took over as Team Manager for Newham and Essex Beagles. I remember him congratulating me at end of my first match when we finished second (to Belgrave of course) and that was typical of his warmth and friendliness. I've tried hard over the years to get teams together that could beat Belgrave, but have generally failed due to the excellent management structure that you have. John was an integral part of
that. He knew the sport, he understood athletes, and he cared.
I shall miss teasing him (and him teasing me) and our games of 'cat and mouse' about the respective strengths of our teams. It's all so sudden and such a shock. I wish I'd spoken to him at Sutton Park.
Condolences from all (including Tony and Mick) at Newham and Essex Beagles.
Bob Smith, Newham & Essex Beagles
Such shocking news. I’m still trying to come to terms with it - like a huge number of others I am sure, especially his family of course. As if being joint manager of the British League team wasn’t enough, he was always willing to help officiate at other Track & Field fixtures where Belgrave teams were taking part. He will be sorely missed.
Rex Bale
Earlier this year my own club experienced a similar great loss when one of our own passed away suddenly and unexpectedly .... I am absolutely certain that John's loss will be similarly felt at Belgrave Harriers and my thoughts are with his family and club colleagues at this time - the loss is a great one and Bels along with the sport have lost both a great servant and a great thinker ...
Andy Paul
Vice Chair, Birchfield Harriers
I was very saddened to hear of the passing of John. He was certainly a supporter of athletics from the grass roots up to the international stage and he was always a regular spectator at the Lauriston Paarlauf on Christmas Day no matter what the weather.
In my days of sometimes covering the British League for AW he was always helpful and often came up with an interesting 'nugget' about his Belgrave charges.
Until reading Alan's fine obituary I didn't realise the extent of his performances which even these days would have stood him in good stead. A 49s 400m and a 49min 10-miles must be quite unique.
Pete Mulholland
I was so shocked to hear about John. He was always very friendly and always made time to talk to me and find out what I have been up to. He will be deeply missed.
Syreeta Stracey
This is very, very sad news. John was a great friend to the British Milers' Club and helped the BMC organise meetings at Battersea Park in the late 90s. The 800m at the 1997 meeting is still the best ever BMC race.
Sincere condolences to you all.
Matthew Fraser Moat
John was the epitome of Athletics and the finest of advertisements for the sport, and it's the more sad since he should have had far more time on this earth to continue to enjoy everything about athletics.
For myself, since I knew him quite well, and on behalf of Kingston & Poly members everywhere, I extend to Bels and all its members, and to his family, our heartfelt wishes at this saddest of times.
David Barrington, Kingston Athletic Club & Polytechnic Harriers
I first came across John when I was running as a 14 or 15 year old in open races around London. His encouraging words meant a lot to a nervous boy prior to these races and he soon became my friend. As I got older and improved I was lucky to travel on teams abroad where John was the team manager. His knowledge of the sport was invaluable and his 'appropriate' comments just prior to one’s race meant a lot. We ran together on several occasions during these trips. He was good company.
John, you will be greatly missed by me and all who knew you. Sleep peacefully
Billy Dee
We were shocked to hear of the untimely demise of JJ. When we competed for the Met Police he was a source of guidance and inspiration with his enthusiasm and devotion to the club in particular and athletics in general. We know that he enjoyed the transition to administration with Belgrave. He will be sadly missed.
David Moles, Alan Bredan and Ian Iveson, formerly Met Police AC.
Just wanted to say how shocked I was to hear about John. He will be greatly missed not only at Belgrave but within the sport. He was a great team manager not just at club level but at international level as well. He was my team manager at many internationals over the years and was great fun. Please send my best wishes and deepest sympathy to all concerned.
Gary Staines
Many of the officers and members of this club [Woodford Green with Essex Ladies] knew John Jeffery and we were very saddened to hear of his death. On behalf of our membership I would like to extend our deepest condolences to his family and to you Club members. Athletics as a sport will miss him and no doubt this will be most keenly felt within the ranks of Belgrave Harriers.
I think I first ran against him when he was with the Metropolitan Police AAC in the late 1960s and got to know him on a much more regular basis over the last 12 years whilst he was joint manager of your BAL team. I think he was generally liked by everyone who had the privilege of knowing him.
Keith Hopson, Woodford Green with Essex Ladies.
I am stunned and speechless to have learnt of John's passing away - he will be missed by so many people
Tony Ganio
Having just heard the news today, I am saddened and shocked. He was a great man and summers will not be the same at the track without him there. Please pass on my sincere condolences to his family and loved ones.
James Tuson
I have just heard the sad news concerning John's death. I can't imagine the British league without him. I always enjoyed our topical conversations on the way to league matches in your car. It made me feel like a VIP sitting in the back of your Jaguar being driven from hotel or Airport to the various athletics tracks talking about the politics of the sport. I am terribly sad that I won't be able to talk with him again, he was a great man and a great support to me.
Scot Thompson
I just got the news about John. Its almost unbelievable, he had always been such a strong sort of guy! We've lost a really good team manager and a friend and I wanted to say that I'm really sorry that he's gone. You guys have done so much work together for our sport and the team and it's not until something like this happens that you realise how much some people do for you and with little thanks in return. You should know that it really is appreciated though and I hope John realised that too.
I truly hope that Belgrave manages to bear up to the loss, so best wishes to you all and his family. Hope to see you again next season.
Wesley Smith
Restored from the club's earlier website, belgraveharriers.com, and published here as originally written.