Farewell: those who died in Oxfordshire in 2018

Roger Bannister: One of the most celebrated sportsmen in British history after breaking the four-minute mile barrier, Roger Bannister died on March 3. He was 88.

Sir Roger, aided by Sir Christopher Chataway and Chris Brasher as pacemakers, achieved a feat widely viewed at the time as impossible by running three minutes 59.4 seconds at the Iffley Road track on May 6, 1954.

Sir Roger, who also won a Commonwealth and European Championship gold medal that year, went on to become a leading neurologist. He lived modestly in Bardwell Road, North Oxford.

He died on Saturday at the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford, the same hospital he trained at as a medical student.

Jean Fooks: A former Lord Mayor of Oxford and one of the city's most formidable politicians, Jean Fooks was respected across the political divide for more than half a century of service. She fought tirelessly for the city she was endlessly committed to and known for being kind and courteous.

Mrs Fooks, who read physics at Somerville, was first elected a city councillor in 1992 and served as the Liberal Democrats’ group leader from 2012 until 2016. She first represented North ward and then Summertown following boundary changes.

She passed away on November 28.

Bill and Stan Rhymes: Brothers Bill and Stan Rhymes, from Marston, Oxford, were both veterans of the Second World War and took part in the D-Day landings in June 1944, which resulted in the liberation of France. They passed away this year on March 20 and April 9 respectively. Both men were honoured with the Légion d’Honneur and will be missed dearly by those they left behind. Bill was 96. Stan, who also founded the Oxford Willows Cricket Club from a community of speedway supporters, was 94.

Patrick Churchill: Another veteran of D-Day, Patrick Churchill, grew up in Iffley, Oxford, and was among the first wave to land at Normandy, crewing a Cromwell tank with the Royal Marine Armoured Support Group. He went on to fight with French troops in Holland with 4 Commando. He was awarded the Croix de Guerre for his bravery in holding his post in the face of fierce enemy action for 36 hours.

Endlessly courageous he found love after the war with German Red Cross nurse Karin Busch and returned annually to Normandy, even returning weeks before his death on June 28, aged 94. He lived in Garsington and Witney.

Vernon Jones: D-Day veteran Vernon Jones was an anti-tank gunner in the 2nd Battalion Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Regiment, landing on Gold Beach for the D-Day landings. He had previously served in the Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry.

In 2016 Mr Jones, from Steventon, near Abingdon, gathered with other Normandy veterans at Oxford Town Hall to receive the Légion d’Honneur, the highest military accolade in France.

He died on Easter Sunday, aged 94.

Pat Stannard: Former Lord Mayor of Oxford Pat Stannard had lived in Oxford since his family moved to a home off Abingdon Road when he was two years-old. He died aged 79 on March 30. A minute’s silence was held by the city council in his honour.

Mary Ellis: One of the last surviving female Second World War pilots, Mary Ellis, born in Leafield, near Witney, died aged 101 on July 24.

Mrs Ellis was among the first women to take to the skies in Spitfires and heavy bombers. The trailblazer was a member of the Air Transport Auxiliary, whose female pilots were affectionately known as the 'ATA-girls'. As part of her role delivering aircraft from factories to airfields, Mrs Ellis flew more than 1,000 aircraft, including more than 400 Spitfires.

Eleanor Bolton: Affectionately known as the Botley Bag Lady, Eleanor Bolton was a familiar sight carrying her plastic bags of newspapers along the west Oxford thoroughfare. The Oxford University graduate, who was raised at Bloxham near Banbury but lived rough in west Oxford, was described as a "delightful, intelligent and interesting" person, content with her own life and her own way of living it. She passed away on June 27 aged 73.

Windell ‘Joe’ Walcott: Former mayor of Carterton and grandfather to Everton and England footballer Theo Walcott, Windell ‘Joe’ Walcott died on November 23 aged 92. Known as a ‘true gentleman’ and a hero of the community, Mr Walcott won an MBE for his services in 2006 and will be missed by the community he served.

The long-serving councillor was born in Jamaica and first came to the UK when he joined the Royal Air Force as a teenager.

After more than 30 years in the air force he joined the civil service and devoted many years to community work. He spent 18 years as a town and district councillor, which included terms as mayor of Carterton and chairman of West Oxfordshire District Council.

Sam Langford: Second World War veteran and policeman Sam Langford was also a hero of the D-Day landings.

Originally from East Challow, near Wantage, Mr Langford narrowly avoided death when his glider came under heavy fire during Operation Varsity – an airborne attack on Germany in 1945.

He returned to Oxfordshire with a shrapnel wound and became a policeman. He received a Légion d’Honneur, the highest military accolade in France, in 2016, for his heroism on and after D-Day. He died aged 95, on June 16.

Bill Pendell: D-Day veteran Bill Pendell from Stanford in the Vale, near Wantage, was hailed as a ‘kind, modest and wise’ man.

Born in South Wales, Mr Pendell landed on Gold beach during D-Day as a 22-year-old despatch rider with the Royal Signals, 11th Armoured Division. In 1945, he won the Military Medal for bravery in combat, before receiving the Légion d’Honneur – France's highest order of merit – two years ago.

The King of Belgium also presented him with a medal for his part in Antwerp's liberation. He was part of a group which liberated Bergen-Belsen concentration camp, but never spoke about the war until about five years ago.

He died on December 1 aged 97.

Harriet Forster: Nine year-old Harriet Forster, from Oxford, died of serious head injuries when she was struck by a boulder in Staithes, North Yorkshire, on August 8.

An inquest heard the Dragon Schoolgirl, from north Oxford, was visiting her aunt's cottage and had gone out to test out a new camera before the tragic accident. She was described as ‘the light of our lives’ by her family. Tributes poured in from her school, her local community and beyond.

Richard Baker: Television presenter Richard Baker, was described as the ‘face of the news’. He fronted the BBC's first news bulletin, and did so for 28 years. Mr Baker served in the Royal Navy during the Second World War, winning awards for his service.

He went on to present classical music on the BBC's Third Programme, as well as hosting Radio 4’s Start the Week and The Last Night at the Proms, among various other programmes. He voiced children’s television characters, narrated audio books and even appeared in a Christmas special of Morecambe and Wise.

He also voiced children’s television characters, narrated audio books and even appeared in a Christmas special of Morecambe and Wise. He lived in a retirement village near Letcombe Regis, He died on November 17 aged 93.

Florence Waters: Journalist, artist and volunteer Florence Waters, from Osney, Oxford, was online arts editor for the Daily Telegraph before becoming a freelance contributor. She was found dead in Thame after being missing for four days. She was known for her ‘fantastic volunteer’ work ‘with kindness and calm at the heart of all her work’. She was found on November 22 She was 33.

Mary Midgley: Celebrated Oxford University philosopher Mary Midgley was one of the first to bring ethical responsibilities to animals to the public eye. The moral philosopher came to wider public attention in the 1980s due to a ongoing dispute with evolutionary biologist and Oxford professor Richard Dawkins over his book The Selfish Gene, criticising the scientist for a narrow 'ideological' and 'reductionist' stance.

In recent years, her time at Oxford University, which she attended from 1938, and her relationship with contemporaries Elizabeth Anscombe, Iris Murdoch, who became a close friend, and Philippa Foot, received revived interest.

She died aged 99, on October 10.

Michael Pickwoad: Theatrical and cinematic set designer Michael Pickwoad was at the heart of the reinvention of Doctor Who and also worked on the sets for cult movie Withnail and I. Mr Pickwoad, from North Oxford, died on August 27 aged 73.

George Reszeter: Award winning photographer George Reszeter documented life in the county for 25 years. The former Oxford Mail and The Oxford Times photographer was also a renowned wildlife photographer with a special interest in ornithology. A former Matthew Arnold School pupil lived in Dry Sandford. He died aged 72 on March 16.

Jim French: The former mayor of Bicester, Jim French, passed on November 17, aged 76. The lifelong RAF enthusiast and Air Training Corps trainer was born in Wolvercote, lived in Bicester and was heavily involved with the ATC at Chipping Norton, where his wife Angie delivered training.

Jolanta Lis: Former Mayor of Bicester Jolanta Lis dedicated herself to helping others. She worked with mental health patients for two decades before looking to help her local community. She died aged 70 on April 13.