TV THEME tune genius Ronnie Hazlehurst loved Guernsey so much that his family decided it should be his final resting place. The creator of numerous famous tunes such as for Last of the Summer Wine and Are You Being Served?, Mr Hazelhurst died on Monday of last week at the age of 79.
Sons Clive and Neil paid tribute to him at his funeral yesterday.
‘My father had several close connections with Guernsey and the people here. We came here on holidays and he made a lot of friends over the years,’ said Clive.
‘What’s important to us is that people realise he really loved Guernsey. His original idea was to retire here, but in the end he found a way to both live and work here.
‘Although he wasn’t sporty, he made an association with both L’Ancresse Golf Club and the Royal Guernsey Golf Club. He used to sponsor championships and bring over various celebrity friends.
‘But he was a quiet man and you wouldn’t call him pretentious in any way. He just wanted to go for a pint and a walk on the beach.’
About 60 family and friends attended a low-key service at Vale Church followed by a wake at the Royal Guernsey.
A memorial service will be held in London in December for showbiz associates who could not make it to Guernsey.
Neil said the family used to enter the Battle of Flowers every year as part of an annual holiday.
‘We went to Sark once and someone told us there were graves there
belonging to people with the Hazlehurst name.
‘My father took photographs of them and put them up in his house and did a lot of research into the history of the family. He was quite into genealogy, even before it was a big thing.
‘He bought an old hotel in Sausmarez Street in St Peter Port in the mid 60s and converted it into seven flats. He lived in one and rented the others out to working people of Guernsey.
‘When he decided to move here permanently, the States gave him a local housing licence in recognition of his achievements. My father was a truly remarkable man.’
Both sons said they were grateful to staff at Princess Elizabeth Hospital for taking care of their father during his three weeks in intensive care.
Mr Hazlehurst worked almost until his death and had completed half of the music for the final series of Last of the Summer Wine during his final time in Guernsey.
The funeral service was conducted by Vale rector the Rev. Kevin Northover.
‘God gives us all a talent and if you discover yours like Ronnie did, you can make millions of people happy,’ he said.
‘It wasn’t hard to think of things to say about him. He was a really big-hearted man and a very loving person to all of his friends and family.’
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