My father, Syd Creed, who has died aged 92, was a head postmaster in Coventry whose great energy extended to activities outside of his work, including for church charities, Rotary International and St John’s Ambulance.
Syd was born in Colchester, the only child of Nellie (nee Turner) and her husband, Sidney, a ticket collector on the railways who inculcated in him a love of gardening and woodworking and a practical commitment to socialist principles. After leaving Colchester grammar school Syd became a Post Office messenger boy, and following national service in Egypt was promoted to be a postal and telegraph clerk.
He met Eileen Jones at a Labour party meeting in Colchester in 1951, and they were married the same year, soon having two daughters. Later Syd travelled across England as a postal traffic superintendent (1961-67) and in 1968 he was appointed as deputy head postmaster in Bedford. Promotions followed as he became a postal controller in London (1969), head postmaster in Blackburn (1972) and finally head postmaster in Coventry (1976), where he led regional and national pilots for postcoding and letter mechanisation.
In 1984 he collaborated with a number of European counterparts to help create the Union Internationale des Jumelages, which fosters better relations between postal authorities across the world. After opting for early retirement in 1986 he was elected for two consecutive terms as the body’s president (1986-91).
Syd was a lifelong collector of records, books and antiques, and in retirement he spent some of his time running a small business with Eileen trading in 18th and 19th century porcelain. He was also an active member of the congregation at St Mary the Virgin church in Stoneleigh in Warwickshire, serving several terms as churchwarden and treasurer there.
An energetic trustee of Coventry Church Charities (1988-2006), his 50 years of support for Rotary Foundation International was recognised with a Paul Harris Fellowship award in 2018. In addition he gave many years service to St John’s Ambulance in the Coventry area. He was a Labour party member for most of his life.
Syd loved music and opera, and was a founder concert subscriber at Warwick Arts Centre, as well as a regular attendee at Welsh National Opera seasons in Cardiff and Llandudno.
He was indomitable in his quest to get things done and generous with his time and talents, inspiring everyone he met with his unflagging and modest spirit, as well as his integrity and purpose.
He is survived by Eileen and by their daughters, me and Sarah.
