John Amor, who has died aged 95, was a pillar of the community in Kidlington, embracing many aspects of village life.
‘Mr Kidlington’, as he was known to many, became a school teacher after National Service and retired as headteacher of Beckley School in 1989.
He devoted much of his time to St Mary’s Church, Kidlington, where he was a churchwarden and server.
READ MORE: Flooding impact as heavy rain hits county
He and his wife Jean regularly transported the elderly to church and beyond, despite being in their late 80s themselves.
The Scouts benefited from his love of nature and his desire to see them develop into model adults over more than 50 years.
He helped the 33rd Kidlington Scout troop organise Scoutrail, an exhibition of model railways at Exeter Hall in the village over three decades.
Rail wasn’t his only interest in transport – he was also a bus enthusiast.
Despite living in nearby Yarnton, he was the man “to go to” for information about Kidlington, his birthplace.
One campaign he led was against the renaming of The Wise Alderman pub in Banbury Road as The Highwayman in 2009.
READ MORE: Beauty salon to open on ground floor of flats
He described the change as ridiculous, arguing the village had no historical connections with highwaymen and that Alderman Frank Wise was a prominent former local councillor.
He told the Oxford Mail: “Frank Wise was so well known that he was called the ‘lord mayor of Kidlington’.”
It wasn’t only the past which interested Mr Amor - he was also on the editorial board of Kidlington News, a monthly publication bringing the latest information to villagers.
Among the many tributes to him was one from son-in-law David Bratley, who said: “John’s long, eventful life ended peacefully after a long illness, throughout which he was never heard to complain.”
St Mary’s Church was packed for his funeral service conducted by the Rev Felicity Scroggie.
He leaves behind Jean, his wife of 68 years, and his offspring, Peter, Jackie and Christopher.
Donations in his memory will go to St Mary’s Church and Embrace the Middle East.
By John Chipperfield
Help support trusted local news
Sign up for a digital subscription now: oxfordmail.co.uk/subscribe
As a digital subscriber you will get:
- Unlimited access to the Oxford Mail website
- Advert-light access
- Reader rewards
- Full access to our app
About the author
Andy is the Trade and Tourism reporter for the Oxford Mail and you can sign up to his newsletters for free here.
He joined the team more than 20 years ago and he covers community news across Oxfordshire.
His Trade and Tourism newsletter is released every Saturday morning.
You can also read his weekly Traffic and Transport newsletter.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here