Please find all of your tributes listed below for Andy Seward following his surprise passing last week. Thank you for your numerous responses.
The funeral details for Andy are listed below as well as information regarding donations to the Salisbury Dialysis Unit. For additional information please contact Rob Sinclair at [email protected] or 01424 456208.
Funeral Arrangements
Thursday 30th January 2014
11.30am
West Wilts Crematorium,
Devizes Road,
Semington,
Trowbridge,
Wiltshire,
BA14 6HL
Donations
Donations can be made in aid of the Salisbury Dialysis Unit, cheques to be payable to ‘Renal Services UK’ and sent to:
Wm Adlam
68a Locks Hill,
Frome,
Somerset,
BA11 1NH
Tel (01373 452100)
Tributes
I am writing to offer my personal condolences and those of Sport England for the tragic loss of Andy Seward.
He displayed tremendous leadership in the ETTA’s recent change journey and was a real force for good in the sport. I am sure his death will be a massive loss for you and for table tennis as a whole.
Please do also pass on our thoughts and deepest sympathies to Andy’s family.
Jennie Price – Chief Executive, Sport England
I am sad to hear of the passing away of Andy. Although we do not know each other very well, we did have many interesting chats over the years. It is indeed a sad loss of ETTA and the table tennis family.
Prof. Chan Cheong-Ki – Hong Kong Polytechnic University
We are so sad to hear that your president Andy Seward passed away. We would like to express our condolences. Our thoughts are with the association and his family.
Thomas Weikert – German Table Tennis Association
It is with great sadness that we learned of the passing of Andy. After a hard-fought election, Andy’s tenure was all too brief and we can but hope that the work he had started so energetically and with so much optimism will be continued.
Tony Dias – Chairman of Wembley & Harow TTL
It was with extreme sadness that we learnt of Andy’s passing.
Having been prepared to take up the role of Chair he will not be able to see its fruition and the rewards of his effort. We will not properly be able to comprehend the
devastation Andy’s family will be going through but our heartfelt wishes
go to Andy’s family and our thoughts are with them.
Roger Harris – Secretary of KCTTA
There were, no doubt many, who shared our sadness at the unexpected news of the passing of Andrew.
Earlier we had shared surprise and delight when news came through in late 2012 that he was to challenge for the position of Chairman. Surprise that he was now feeling sufficiently recovered to take on this onerous position and delight in the possible change of direction for the Management Team.
We looked forward to the implementation of his ideas and proposals and welcomed the new Management structure.
Sadly, Andrew will not be able to share our future. His erudition and intellect will be missed at Council, as will his astute oratory.
Derek Sherratt – National Councillor for Staffordshire
I am so sad to have received this news. I have known Andy for a long time and when we last met in Paris, we were chatting and I was hoping to see him again in Tokyo.
Ron Wee – ITTF Umpires and Referees Committee Chairman
On behalf of SOUK we would like to offer our deepest sympathy and condolences at the passing of Andrew. Obviously our thoughts are with his family, but I believe it is also fair to say he made a massive contribution to sport especially through his role with the ETTA, which through his dedication he moved forward and developed considerably.
Janie Frampton – CEO Sports Officials UK
I just wanted to write to you to say how sorry I am to hear the sad news about Andy. As a member of Durham County Vetts I had on a number occasions had to contact Andy with queries or for advice regarding the administrative side of the sport and always found him to be very helpful.
It’s so sad when we lose someone but I know Andy, in particular, will leave a huge void in our sport but hopefully his legacy will help to secure the long-term future of table tennis.
Chris Blake – Durham County Vetts
We were very sad and deeply shocked to hear your sad news this morning.
I had only met Andy very briefly at your recent presentation and we realised that he had been ill, but thought he was recovering.
He was clearly an asset to the organisation and had been very supportive of the organisation through what is a difficult period in its history. I am sure that he will be missed by the members and your employees.
Our thoughts are with his family.
Rona Chester – Chief Operating Officer Sport England
On behalf of the French TT Association I am passing on our most sincere condolences to you and the English TT Association. May I ask you to forward my deepest sympathy to his family.
Christian Palierne – President of French TTA
On behalf of all the players, clubs, committee members in Oxfordshire, we offer our sincere sympathy to Andy’s family and his ETTA colleagues. For anyone not feeling well to still be passionate about a table tennis matter of a sixteen-year-old player/coach [Simon Price] and to want to show their respects to a fellow table tennis colleague [Aubrey Hughes], speaks volumes to his commitment and drive for table tennis and respect for others. We will remember Andy in Oxfordshire as we waved goodbye to our own table tennis legend. We will remember him for his overwhelming personal sacrifice to the sport and fellow colleagues.
May he rest in peace.
Karl Bushell – Oxfordshire Treasurer/Secretary
We are very sad to hear of this sudden and untimely news of the death of Andy Seward. I thought that he had just started to re-organise the ETTA as per requirement of Sport England in just a short time. Yes, of course we are going to miss Andy as a friend and colleague; I did have an opportunity of umpiring a few times along with Andy in some tournaments at BJL and Cadet Masters last year.
Our thoughts and prayers go to Andy Seward family at this hour of sadness.
Anand Kaila – ETTA Umpire
So sorry to hear the sad news of Andy Sewards passing. It is on the Swindon TTL Committee that I met Andy a few times at our AGM. He came to the last two or three. I did not know him well but I got the impression he cared about table tennis very deeply.
Also he cared from the grass roots up, not just caring about the top, this
I have found unusual but very refreshing. We have lost a great asset to table tennis, a very hard act to follow. Please pass on my condolences to his family.
Barry Duke – Swindon TTL Committee
We are shocked and dismayed with the news of Andy’s passing. The recent official ETTA announcement showed how valuable he was to the future of the organisation.
We met Andy several times over the years in his role as “I.U. inspector”. It is all so very sad and almost unbelievable. Best wishes and be courageous and hopeful for the future.
Derek and Josine Juliens
I was very saddened to hear of the sudden passing away of Andy.
Andy was a tremendous enthusiast of the game and he was a very long standing member of the Somerset County Association. Over the years he took on many roles (often more than one at a time) always with the game and the County at heart. He was our senior umpire and was involved in coordinating umpiring in the County and of course carried out numerous umpiring duties. He played in his local league and also represented the County at senior and veteran levels. He will be remembered for being highly respected as an umpire always being firm but fair. He was our National Councillor for many years and took over Chairmanship of the County from me and ran the organisation in a very professional manner. I was delighted to hear of his National Appointment to lead the ETTA something that he would have been extremely proud of and approach in a thoroughly professional l manner. It is such a loss that he will not be able to follow through the vision that he had set for our sport as I know how committed he would have been to make it a success. He will be sadly missed.
Brian Reeves – President of Somerset County Table Tennis Association
We would like to convey our sadness and dismay at hearing of his death and our appreciation of all the good work that he had put into table tennis.
We are greatly in appreciation of the efforts that he had made to bring forward the necessary changes to ensure that English Table Tennis receives the funding to move forward and put our sport on a better footing.
The newsletters that he had sent out in his short time in control of table tennis were a breath of fresh air in terms of communicating the need for change.
David Arnold – General Secretary Lincolnshire County Table Tennis Association
Although he faced his medical condition and treatment regime, and his recent burden of high ETTA office in a hugely difficult transitional period, with typical stoicism and realism, Andy’s sudden death comes as a shock. Having acute intellect and not suffering fools gladly, Andy presented forthright views with clarity and precision, and I sometimes felt the sharpness of his tongue! But there was no doubting his passion for table tennis and the courage of his commitment to sort it out. I had contact with Andy for years, but I felt I got to know him much better as a person at the 2004 Athens Olympics, where we both worked as volunteers (in TT umpiring and reporting respectively). It was there that I learned of his other passion – for high-powered motorbikes! Behind Andy’s sometimes brusqueness was a basic honesty, decency and friendliness that was not always apparent. My sympathy goes to his family, friends and colleagues.
Ken Muhr