Peter Godfrey Ball was born on 20th March 1944 in Preston , to Peter and Annie Ball. He joined eldest brother David, and was shortly followed by younger brothers Graeme and Nigel and sister Diane.
Peter’s father was a Sergeant in the Lancashire Police force, whilst his mother Annie was a Senior Nurse at Alder Hay Hospital.
The family moved around various parts of Lancashire in the early years, following the career of Peter’s father in the Police. Whilst living in Penwortham , the boys attended Hutton Grammar School and this is where Peter began to show his sporting prowess , in becoming the school boxing champion.
The family then moved to Poulton-le-Fylde , which meant the boys moved schools and attended Baines School. Peters sporting acumen continued to thrive , where he excelled in tennis and particularly rugby, in which he captained the school teams. His boxing exploits continued - sometimes in the ring….sometimes not !!
Upon leaving school, Peters first job was in the Midland bank, but he soon realised after a year or so, that this wasn’t for him and he left to join Gillette , followed by Colgate Palmolive, where he cut his competitive teeth in the world of FMCG sales.
In the mid 60’s, he met Margaret in a local pub , The Red Well. They soon married in 1968, followed by the arrival of Simon in 1969 and Sally in 1972.
In the early years of marriage the family lived on Margaret’s family farm in the village of Holme. Then in 1972, they acquired a piece of land and built their first house - The Rookery, which remained the family home for 7 years.
Rugby Union was Peters main sporting passion , which he played to a good level with Fylde in his earlier days and then Kirby Lonsdale for most of his playing days . He continued playing rugby to a good old age, basically until his body could no longer take the physical batterings anymore ! He was known as a very formidable opponent and one you’d definitely prefer to have on your team, than be playing against.
Peter then landed his dream job in Leeds in 1976 - managing director of an entertainment and promotions company - Public Eye Enterprises . The family relocated to Scarcroft in 1979 and settled into life on the other side of the Pennines.
Public Eye was in essence an agency for celebrities, and through his 17 years there, Peter worked with and met some of the most famous names in sports and entertainment…..Terry Wogan, Noel Edmonds, Kevin Keegan & Terry Venables to name a few. He also ventured over to the US, organising deals with Jimmy Connors, Larry Hagman ,better know as Dallas’s JR Ewing, and his long suffering wife Sue Ellen ! He even had the pleasure to meet Muhammad Ali ! This list really was endless and his little black book , as it was pre mobile phones, was a sight to behold. They were great times in his life and something he was very proud of.
The family had fully settled into Leeds life and all still remain here, although sadly Peter and Margarets marriage ended in 1990, after 25 years together.
1992 was a significant time in Peter’s life, finishing working at Public Eye and meeting Jane at their local gym in Adel.
He didn’t rest on his laurels for long and took up a Non Executive Director role within the NHS to help improve their patient complaints process. A role he continued for nearly a decade. Alongside that he worked for the Yorkshire Association of Business Angels (YABA) where he shared his business acumen, leadership and investment with several start up entrepreneurs across the region. He thoroughly enjoyed this role and made several friends for life as a result and helped to build several thriving organisations.
Splitting his time between Adel and Scarcroft, Peter maintained an active membership of Bardsey Tennis Club where he secured trophies and injuries in equal measure. He was delighted to formally welcome Suzanne to the family upon her marriage to Simon in this very church at the turn of the millennium.
The next year, he made the move away from Yorkshire back to Lancashire and set up home in Hornby. Embarking on his last major house and garden makeover he soon transformed it into his little piece of paradise – his beloved dog Wanda supervising carefully at all times. 2001 also saw the arrival of doted upon grand-daughter Maddie, followed by her brother Charlie in 2005 – equally adored.
Having sadly lost his father, Peter prior to the move back to Lancashire, Peter Jr. devoted time to oversee the care and administrative affairs of his mother, Annie, eldest brother David and sister-in-law Jane who we all said goodbye to in the following years.
Of course, the move also meant he was again close to his old stomping ground of Kirkby Lonsdale Rugby Club (KLRUFC) where he quickly threw himself into spectating; becoming a committee member, volunteering on match and event days as well as taking on his most challenging role to date – Santa Claus. He revelled in the play acting and spent hours writing ditties to entertain the children.
As he began to wind down his working life at the turn of the next decade; he was able to spend more time at KLRUFC and traveling with Jane around the world. Keen to take Wanda as often as possible, until she sadly left us in 2005; some of their favourite destinations were more local – Jersey, Wales, Northumberland, Blair Atholl and of course – Garlieston to see partner in crime, youngest brother Graeme and his wife Kathleen. These visits were particularly cherished to support upon the tragic loss of son, nephew and brother Barnaby in 2010.
2020 was the next date of significance for Peter, as it was for many of us. In addition to the pressures of lockdown; there was the loss of Graeme and a huge heart attack for Peter. The latter accelerated what had been dismissed as old age forgetfulness previously into a formal diagnosis of Vascular Dementia. Struggling more as time went by; he made the decision to move back to Yorkshire once the COVID restrictions had lifted. ‘The Great Move’ commenced and it was a very difficult process for Peter to say goodbye to many of his possessions, his immaculate garden and of course his friends in the village.
Just before the move in with Jane was complete in September 2022; Peter received a diagnosis of incurable myeloma. He took the news steadfastly and commenced treatment at St James to manage his symptoms where possible. Despite this – Jane and he continued their travels and her unerring support and company following his move back brought him happiness and comfort. Their last trip to Wales in the summer of 2023. In the Autumn, finding treatment a challenge; Peter was placed under the palliative care of St Gemma’s hospice as an outpatient before being admitted on 12th December 2023. Their care and support were both invaluable and astounding, helping Simon, Sally and Jane cope with the moment when, with them all by his side; he passed away peacefully at noon on 20th December.