Frank Heaney RIP  

Former member, President, athlete and auditor Frank Heaney sadly passed away yesterday 15th August Frank was a great Ilford AC stalwart and had a lasting  influence on anybody who ever knew him.He was a great friend and supporter of Ilford AC as well as being a larger than life personality. Our deepest condolences go to his wife Doreen and their family. Frank will be missed by us all.
Ernie Forsyth

Dear Frank was Ilford AC President 1778/79, following Brian Armstrong and succeeded by Roy Gill. He was a long-serving Club Chairman from 1988-to-1996 and a diligent auditor. Frank was aged 86 at the time of his demise, and I believe resided in Loughton. He enjoyed his Saturday afternoon/evening pints with “The Jokers” and rarely missed any of our Club functions and activities. A truly genial man who’l be much missed and long remembered.As for the Walking Section, he regularly turned out for our 2 main events to hold a stopwatch or a recorder’s clipboard : our Christmas 10K walks at Chigwell Row and summer 10K around South Park’s perimeter, and was an enthusiastic supporter of our Walking Section.Dave Ainsworth (a Past President).

I am deeply saddened to hear the news that Frank has passed away. He was one of the first people I met when I went to Cricklefield way back in 1962. From those early days and throughout my career Frank always supported and encouraged me, and I remember that especially so from the times when things weren’t going well.
Frank was a chartered accountant and his support extended to guiding me through some accountancy exams in my early working years which proved to be really significant for me. He was a very intelligent man, always cheerful and lively, but also with a wicked sense of humour – something that always made it fun to be in his company. He will be greatly missed.
Tony Nixon