Lincolnshire’s oldest Freemason dies aged 106

A man born before WW1’s first Christmas and initiated into Grantham’s Granta Lodge in 1975 passed to the Grand Lodge above on Saturday January 2nd at the age of 106.

Born on October 21st 1914, he was George Buxton, who went through the Lodge’s chair in 1987-88, and was Chaplain for four years starting in 1991.

He was made an honorary member of the Lodge in November 2014, and attended his last meeting in May 2016. He was given an unexpected – by him at any rate – promotion to PProvSGW by Lincolnshire’s previous PGM Graham Ives.

George had been a founder member of the Meridian Daylight Lodge, of which he was also an honorary member, and his funeral service, at 1.30pm on January 26th, will be streamed at this link The ID and password are available from trevor.johnston1@ntlworld.com.

Granta Lodge secretary Bob Hardwick said: “George will be best remembered by newer brethren for delivering the extended working tools in the second degree at Installation meetings, and he regularly delivered the Exhortation at ceremonies of raising. I recorded in the Granta Lodge Minute Book for Thursday 9th October 2014: ‘WBro. G.R. Buxton, just 12 days before his 100th birthday and at the special invitation of the Worshipful Master, presented the Second Degree Working Tools – in extended order.  A standing ovation of applause followed.”

George was born at Holywell near Stamford, and was the fifth of seven siblings. He left school on his 14th birthday, and after working in Searton, Careby, and Stapleford Park, eventually moved to Burghley House where he met Jessie, who he married in 1939. They were together until her death in 2013.

During the war he volunteered for the RAF. He was in Coventry when it suffered the heavy bombing, and was released from the service to drive the city’s buses. After the war, during which he also drove dock transporting Birkenhead, he came back to Lincolnshire and drove for Lincolnshire Road Car before a career change into insurance with the Pru in 1952, where he stayed until retirement.

Alan Newton, Meridian Lodge treasurer, had been a friend of George for many years. He said: “George had a love of horses, to which he was introduced when he got a job as valet and chauffeur by amateur jockey Kim Muir, who has a race named after him at Cheltenham. George was also the owner of a greyhound called Dancing Lady, which won at Nottingham, Peterborough, and the White City.

“He was a product of a bygone era when commitment to family, friends and country was the norm. He lived a full life and made many friends.”

George was a Companion of Granta Chapter from December 1977 until his resignation in April 2016.

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