Published at 05:14, Friday, 19 June 2009

Richard Neal was a man of many parts.A gifted linguist and teacher, he was a skilled driver of buses and big trucks.

Trucker: After his first spell at university Richard Neal took to the roads as a driver for the Danish Bacon Company

He was a capable mechanic with boundless enthusiasm for older vehicles and he was a Francophile, who took pupils on exchange visits from Longtown to Jaligny sur Besbre every year.

He held a public service vehicle licence and drove the coach to the small town in the centre of France himself.

French pupils made return visits to Cumbria and he was involved in all aspects of the exchange, which gave many children their first experience of foreign life and travel.

Born near Gretna, on the English side of the Border where his parents ran a guest house, he was educated at Carlisle Grammar School and then did something unusual at the time – he took a ‘gap year’, spending time in France and Austria on translation work.

He studied at the Royal Holloway College of London University before deciding to take to the roads, driving lorries for three years and working for the Danish Bacon Company, in Carlisle.

Further study followed at Newcastle University and in 1978, he was appointed modern languages teacher at the Lochinvar School, in Longtown.

He married Margaret Dezateux, British born despite her French surname, whom he had met when they were both students in London, and they lived on Brampton Road, in Carlisle.

She eventually became a headteacher.

Her husband gained his MA in French from Lancaster University before the couple left Cumbria for Sussex some 25 years ago and he continued his teaching career at a school, in Eastbourne, as head of the German department.

The couple loved Cumbria where, before they had their family, he used to drive his bright red Triumph TR3 sports car over the fellside roads, often in the snow.

He knew the rural routes well, from driving his own car along them and from driving a school bus, collecting pupils from their home areas in the mornings and taking them back in the afternoons.

His hobbies included gardening and reading, he had a great interest in the history of World War One and he and his wife liked to travel, visiting France many times.

Although he was a very fit man and had not been ill, Mr Neal suffered a massive heart attack and died, aged 57, leaving his wife and their two daughters.

His funeral took place at St Michael and All Angels’ Church in Berwick, East Sussex.

Published by http://www.cumberlandnews.co.uk