Bed and breakfast host dies aged 96
By Central Somerset Gazette | Thursday, January 05, 2012, 11:00
A man who could justly claim to be Britain's oldest bed and breakfast host has died in Glastonbury aged 96.
Tony Rose was a much-loved presence at the breakfast table since moving to the town to help run the Pippin guest-house with his wife Daphne in 1997.
He collapsed during a family meal on the evening of Christmas Eve and died three days later in Yeovil District Hospital.
His wife Daphne said: 'Tony will be greatly missed by me and by all those fortunate enough to have known him.
"I have been so touched by receiving dozens of emails from all over the world from people who spent a morning or two in his company."
Visitor Pamela Rihal from Sussex wrote: "I have many happy memories of breakfasts at Pippin, with Tony at the toaster – 'brown or white?' – when we spanned the world in our conversation.
"I loved the way he always rose to greet us when we entered and left the dining room. So rare, so appreciated."
Despite his years, Mr Rose, a retired engineer who served in the RAF during the war, transformed the garden at Pippin and even designed and helped fit a kitchen aged 90.
"He always had projects on the go," said Daphne. 'He would stop at nothing to improve things."
Mr Rose, one of three brothers, was a father of two and is survived by his younger brother Nigel who is one of the country's last surviving Second World War Spitfire pilots.
His funeral will be held at St John's Church in Glastonbury on Saturday at noon.
Comments
I would like to echo Ms Rihal's comments regarding Tony. My wife and I had the pleasure of staying at Pippin at Easter 2008 during our first trip to the UK. We were immediately taken with the hospitality and generosity shown by both Daphne and Tony. "A true English gentleman," my wife summed him up perfectly. One of my favorite memories is, as we left, telling him that perhaps we would see him again on our next trip (for which we had no definite plans at that time). Tony grinned and said, "Well, you'd better not wait too long!" Two years later, we did return, along with our son, and I was able to remind him of that exchange. We hold both him and Daphne dear in our hearts, and think about them often.
Kent Hare
Natchitoches, Louisiana, USA
By KentGHare at 15:58 on 17/01/12
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