Page 59 - The Old Ratcliffian 2013
P. 59
The Old Ratclifan 2013 | IntroductionThe Old Ratclifan 2013 | Obituaries
of faith and to living by them. He give them much better outcomes. It he did extraordinary things.
also gave a lifetime of service to started in a portacabin outside the Bless you, Dad.
the fellowship of the Catenians, Premier Drum factory, then, later,
following his father into the South moved to a dedicated building. Clifford Louis Della Porta (81)
Leicester Circle. His great enthusiasm was a founder of Menphys and a Son
in organising the 500th meeting trustee for forty years. His lifelong
celebrations at the Grand Hotel in work with Menphys was, as he once
1978 is still remembered by many all told me, his ‘prayer of thanks for He was friends with everyone - a
these years later. Dad went on to co- having six healthy children’. perfectionist who could not resist,
found the Loughborough Circle, and In the early 1980s, my Dad lost in the nicest possible way, making
was a Past President of both Circles. suggestions on how to improve
everything: the family business, family
From a young age, Dad loved making home, his marriage, his assets. With whatever one happened to be
things; as a teenager, he would everything gone, I remember asking interested in or doing. He was always
spend hours making battleships and him how on earth he would cope. He curious and interested in new ideas
tanks from scratch in his attempt to turned to me with a warm smile and and how things worked, and could
redefine the war! As Grandpa only gently said, ‘No one can take away my become so absorbed in what he
had ten per cent vision, Dad went on faith’. The deep foundations in faith was doing that time could become
to study Mechanical Engineering at he had built would now sustain him. irrelevant, giving the air of an absent-
Loughborough University, so that he minded professor. He constantly went
could be Grandpa’s eyes and hands, Dad gave out to everyone with equal out of his way to help people - friends
particularly at the family business, affection; when he remarried, without and strangers alike - in many kind and
Premier Drum. There he created hesitation, he embraced Josie’s family private ways. He will be very much
numerous patents in drum design, with as much love and joy as he had missed.
many of which are still in production given to his own. He particularly Tony Daly (47)
forty years after he left Premier. I have regarded all his grandchildren as
early memories of Dad bringing home precious, and loved each of them
clay models of drum brackets to hand dearly. Clifford’s requiem and burial was
sculpt. Dad never wasted one minute of his held at Ratcliffe College on Saturday
day, even at eighty-six years. He has 28th September and was attended
Dad often went to extraordinary gone before his time - he still had an by members of his family and friends
lengths to perfect his work. In creating endless list of projects to do. All these from across the world, as far away as
a world-class pedal timpani, he joined projects were about helping those New Zealand. It was plain to see the
the Leicester Symphony Orchestra around him. huge amount of love and respect held
as a timpanist, just so he could for Clifford by everyone he had come
understand exactly how the timpani Of all my father’s qualities, it is his into contact with.
sounded. selflessness with which all that came
into contact with him resonate. As Secretary of the Ratcliffian
At home, our early childhood was
filled with music; Dad loved to unwind As a family, we will always remember Association, I shall miss him greatly,
with jazz, drumming very loudly, often his beaming smile of unconditional as he was a huge supporter of
competing with his favourite drummer, love, and it’s impossible to forget everything we did. I shall personally
Gene Krupa. Often at Christmas, Dad’s bone-crushing bear hugs. miss him at all the events in the
when Mum was busy cooking up a future.
feast, we were entertained by Dad Dad regarded himself as an ordinary Jackie Bennett
playing piano, saxophone, clarinet man; what is certain, though, is that Editor
or accordion, all self-taught, and
he always encouraged us to play
alongside him.
Dad understood how music helps
those without language to express
themselves. He spent many Saturdays
at Menphys, playing music with
severely disabled children, seeing
them open up and come alive. He
discovered that eighty-five per cent
of a child’s brain capacity is formed
in their first three years, but that, in
the UK, there was no help given to
children with disabilities until much
later in life. So, with great vision and
energy, he brought over pioneering
methods from America to create
the first baby centre with Menphys,
stimulating these babies in order to Clifford (43) with his sons, Chaz (80) & Louis (81)
59
Register o 59
Register online at www.ratclifanassociation.co.uknline at www.ratclifanassociation.co.uk
of faith and to living by them. He give them much better outcomes. It he did extraordinary things.
also gave a lifetime of service to started in a portacabin outside the Bless you, Dad.
the fellowship of the Catenians, Premier Drum factory, then, later,
following his father into the South moved to a dedicated building. Clifford Louis Della Porta (81)
Leicester Circle. His great enthusiasm was a founder of Menphys and a Son
in organising the 500th meeting trustee for forty years. His lifelong
celebrations at the Grand Hotel in work with Menphys was, as he once
1978 is still remembered by many all told me, his ‘prayer of thanks for He was friends with everyone - a
these years later. Dad went on to co- having six healthy children’. perfectionist who could not resist,
found the Loughborough Circle, and In the early 1980s, my Dad lost in the nicest possible way, making
was a Past President of both Circles. suggestions on how to improve
everything: the family business, family
From a young age, Dad loved making home, his marriage, his assets. With whatever one happened to be
things; as a teenager, he would everything gone, I remember asking interested in or doing. He was always
spend hours making battleships and him how on earth he would cope. He curious and interested in new ideas
tanks from scratch in his attempt to turned to me with a warm smile and and how things worked, and could
redefine the war! As Grandpa only gently said, ‘No one can take away my become so absorbed in what he
had ten per cent vision, Dad went on faith’. The deep foundations in faith was doing that time could become
to study Mechanical Engineering at he had built would now sustain him. irrelevant, giving the air of an absent-
Loughborough University, so that he minded professor. He constantly went
could be Grandpa’s eyes and hands, Dad gave out to everyone with equal out of his way to help people - friends
particularly at the family business, affection; when he remarried, without and strangers alike - in many kind and
Premier Drum. There he created hesitation, he embraced Josie’s family private ways. He will be very much
numerous patents in drum design, with as much love and joy as he had missed.
many of which are still in production given to his own. He particularly Tony Daly (47)
forty years after he left Premier. I have regarded all his grandchildren as
early memories of Dad bringing home precious, and loved each of them
clay models of drum brackets to hand dearly. Clifford’s requiem and burial was
sculpt. Dad never wasted one minute of his held at Ratcliffe College on Saturday
day, even at eighty-six years. He has 28th September and was attended
Dad often went to extraordinary gone before his time - he still had an by members of his family and friends
lengths to perfect his work. In creating endless list of projects to do. All these from across the world, as far away as
a world-class pedal timpani, he joined projects were about helping those New Zealand. It was plain to see the
the Leicester Symphony Orchestra around him. huge amount of love and respect held
as a timpanist, just so he could for Clifford by everyone he had come
understand exactly how the timpani Of all my father’s qualities, it is his into contact with.
sounded. selflessness with which all that came
into contact with him resonate. As Secretary of the Ratcliffian
At home, our early childhood was
filled with music; Dad loved to unwind As a family, we will always remember Association, I shall miss him greatly,
with jazz, drumming very loudly, often his beaming smile of unconditional as he was a huge supporter of
competing with his favourite drummer, love, and it’s impossible to forget everything we did. I shall personally
Gene Krupa. Often at Christmas, Dad’s bone-crushing bear hugs. miss him at all the events in the
when Mum was busy cooking up a future.
feast, we were entertained by Dad Dad regarded himself as an ordinary Jackie Bennett
playing piano, saxophone, clarinet man; what is certain, though, is that Editor
or accordion, all self-taught, and
he always encouraged us to play
alongside him.
Dad understood how music helps
those without language to express
themselves. He spent many Saturdays
at Menphys, playing music with
severely disabled children, seeing
them open up and come alive. He
discovered that eighty-five per cent
of a child’s brain capacity is formed
in their first three years, but that, in
the UK, there was no help given to
children with disabilities until much
later in life. So, with great vision and
energy, he brought over pioneering
methods from America to create
the first baby centre with Menphys,
stimulating these babies in order to Clifford (43) with his sons, Chaz (80) & Louis (81)
59
Register o 59
Register online at www.ratclifanassociation.co.uknline at www.ratclifanassociation.co.uk
