My friend Bill Pashley, who has died aged 80, was a man who saw the funny side of almost everything, especially the debilitating illnesses that scarred his last years. For someone who had no religious convictions, he nevertheless exhibited those qualities many regard as truly Christian, not least in his refusal to pass instant judgment on others.
Bill was born into a farming family in Rotherham, south Yorkshire. His parents, William Wright and Blanche Pashley, were plainspoken folk, for whom a spade was generally a spade. Yet they put up little resistance when their son elected to become a dress designer in his teens and gained a scholarship to study at the Royal College of Art in London. After graduating, he embarked on a career that gave him great happiness and satisfaction over several decades.
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