William and Grace Pye gave birth to their son David William Pye (Ha. 1945-50) in Leytonstone on 19 January 1932. They moved to Wales in 1939 due to the declaration of war, then moved again to Brighton in 1945 when David was enrolled at Brighton College. David’s main interest at school was sport: he represented the College in rugby and cricket as well as being a member of the cross country team. He would later go on to acknowledge that his sporting passion meant he paid less attention to the academic part of his schooling than he might have!
After Brighton College, David completed his National Service between 1951 and 1953, serving in the Royal Army Pay Corps in Whitchurch, Hampshire. Following this, he found employment in maritime insurance and then left this when he was inspired by his neighbour, a physiotherapist who was blind, to train to become a Chartered Physiotherapist. Working initially at Brighton General Hospital, he moved to set up a successful private practice where he worked until his eventual retirement in 1997.
He retained a love of sport and, during his career as a physiotherapist, David was thrilled to be appointed Physiotherapist to the West Indies Touring Cricket team in 1693 and again in 1966, meaning he was able to work and meet with his heroes.
David met Kathy in 1979 and they married a year later. At the age of 50, he was delighted (and somewhat surprised!) to welcome his only son, David Junior, who later also attended Brighton College.
David continued to play cricket for local teams, including Brighton Cryptics, and was proud to make his first century as a batsman at 51 years old. Once retired, he continued involvement with cricket as both and umpire and coach. A highlight was umpiring at Lords, during the National Village Cricket Final match. He remained active and enjoyed good health through his later years, following the UK Cricket team overseas to Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.
Later, David and Kathy relocated from Brighton to the North East of England, where he was cared for and loved by his family. His end came peacefully after a brief hospital admission on 16 June 2022.
WORDS BY DAVID'S SON, DAVID PYE. IMAGES COURTESY OF ROGER BEASLEY.
{gallery}David Pye{/gallery}