SLTA is very sad to announce the passing of both Gordon Blake and of John Reed.  They were both former Chairs of Suffolk LTA.

Obituaries for both are below:

Sheelagh Watts Secretary of Suffolk LTA has sent this obituary for Gordon:

'It is with great sadness that I have to inform you that Gordon Blake passed away peacefully on Sunday in a Woodbridge Nursing Home where he had spent several years.

Gordon gave a lifetime of service to the Suffolk Lawn Tennis Association.  He was very popular as a tennis referee throughout Suffolk and, for many years, refereed the Framlingham Tennis Tournament held at Framlingham College each year in August.  He was a former Chairman of Suffolk LTA.

Gordon will be sorely missed by so many

Sheelagh Watts

Secretary Suffolk LTA'

We have now been given details of Gordon's funeral as follows:

Gordon’s funeral will be held at the Colchester Road Crematorium, Ipswich at 1.15pm on Thursday 21st November after which everyone is welcome back to Gresham’s (312 Tuddenham Road, Ipswich IP4 3QJ)

Donations in memory of Gordon for either the Ipswich Operatic Society or Macmillan Cancer Support  (Farthings Funeral Service or there will be a collection point at the crematorium).

This obituary for John Reed is a short extract from the Sudbury Mercury:

"Without John's foresight and commitment, the club that we all enjoy today would be a very different and much poorer facility."

As he built a career and raised a family - including starting a business in Bury St Edmunds that employed many local people - John Reed also devoted energy to the sport he'd loved since his early life: not just playing, but creating something for the future, for everyone to enjoy.

In 1990, he turned a warehouse in Sudbury into an indoor racquet centre. John was also a prominent member of Stowmarket Tennis Club. He was the driving force behind its move to a better site in 2001; he masterminded the installation of a winter dome that meant tennis need not be halted by bad weather – virtually, according to a friend, camping outside the LTA chief executive's office until he was able to gain funding for this innovative project. The dome has been one of the overriding factors in the continuing success of the club. 

John became chairman of Suffolk Lawn Tennis Association in 2004, and continued to play competitively in later life - being chosen for the County Veterans team