Owen Phipps 1946-2019 RIP  

Karen, Barry & Family

Owen was part of our family for many years. He was a lovely man with a good sense of humour. We cannot believe you will not be with us. You will be sorely missed.
Rest in peace Owen.
Love from us all xxxx

jason and lisa

so emotional reading the tributes on this page, everyone has their own memories of Owen, but the one thing that is constant is the amount that he was loved by friends and family alike, it is very easy to use cliches like 'too soon' but in Owens case it couldn't be more true, such a lovely guy who will be greatly missed.x

Elaine.Battson

Owen was a work colleague, a fellow runner and someone who I looked forward to seeing at Mile 19 to lift my spirits - which he always did. I'm smiling just thinking about him, with a tear in my eye too. Thanks Owen.

Susan

Dearest O, I will never forget your very unique sense at humour and that smile ! You certainly kept us all on our toes at HCT. Your running shoes and kit part of your office décor. A kind heart, a cheeky chappy and full of life is how I will always remember you. Thanks for the laughs Susan x

Nathan Mags Dylan

Our family is saddened by the loss of Owen . The secret Santa we have at Christmas won’t be the same but will be a quicker as Owen May or may not have bought your gift for everyone and not to touch my deadly bottle of hot sauce then rub your eyes . And Dylan will miss Sunday roasts and hoping Owen would be the first to spill on clean table cloth. Always one for a joke and laugh X

Brian De’ath

I first met Owen when I joined BRR and with his help my running improved immensely. His advice outside running was invaluable. I will miss your sense of humour. Rest in peace “O”

Pat & Terry Mills

Cheeky, quick witted, humorous Owen, an absolute joy to be around, he will be so sorely missed by his extended family of which he was truly a part. It just doesn’t seem possible that he is no longer with us with his spontaneous banter. We never thought of Owen as a veteran as we only ever see the fun, cheeky side of him that showed that he never really grew up (but that’s what we loved most about him). We have fond memories of a man that was caring and loving that will stay with us forever. Our thoughts and prayers go out to our sister Joan whose heart must be breaking right now and to the rest of his family in their grief. We have lost one of the best. Xxxx

Terry Tracy and family

Owen,as a family we are so saddened by the loss of one of life's nicest guys. You always said what you thought and with honesty. Your humour will live long in our memory. Also thanks for helping this families answer to Frank Spencer with the shower. I also would have loved to have seen you in the wig I got you in the secret santa you took it with great humour, you will not be forgotten and will be missed by all of us. "Bye O"

Shirley & William

It is difficult to put into words how we feel, Where do we start, we have known Owen for nearly 28 since he and Joan got together and have found him to be committed and dedicated to the sports he has loved including his athletics and football supporting Dagenham and Redbridge. Owen was a good sport with a great sense of humour and argumentative in a humorous way. He was caring and loyal and displayed such courage and dignity. Owen was a major influence in our family he was and will always be loved by us all including Rubi and Oakley who he loved and cared for on many occasions. RIP Owen what will we do without you.

Cheryl De’ath

I first met Owen when Joan started going out with him. We hadn’t long bought our house so we were finding our feet as new home owners. Owen was always on hand to help with DIY. After taking part in a race in the morning he would enjoy a Sunday roast dinner with us (our first guest!). We found out he didn’t like broccoli so we mashed it up and hid it under potatoes. He discovered what we were doing and decided to give up and tolerate it, which he had done ever since. Owen was thoughtful and considerate. He was always trying to encourage our mum to eat when she became ill. Ironic that he went through the same thing with us trying to encourage him. He had a dry sense of humour and used to giggle at his own jokes, tears rolling down his cheeks. I know Joan is devastated. Having been by his side for nearly 28 years I can only imagine the hurt she is going through. He will be sadly missed by all the family. RIP Owen xx

John Feehan

I first met Owen back in the early 80's when I was manager of The Cock Tavern public house in Holloway N19. The Cock was a well known Pool pub which attracted top pool players from allover. Owen like myself was a huge pool enthusiast and critic and we became friends straight away. Over the years that followed we traveled the length and breath of Britain to tournaments, not as players but for the sheer fun of it and in the hope that there would be money games (which there always was) so we could have a bet on our favorites. We even holidayed in Tenerife back in the day.
Owen was a great guy and someone I will never forget. In later years when I had personal problems Owen was the person that I turned to for help and advice and I didn't have to ask him twice. Sadly after I gave up the pub game and as we were getting older and more sensible we began seeing each other less and less which I now regret terribly.
Owen you were a true friend and memories of our friendship will last with me forever. RIP.

Deborah

The memories I have of you. You always used to make people laugh, especially when they were feeling down, always cracking jokes. Even when my sister told you to get out if the kitchen until dinner was ready, you joked about it and said you need to taste it to make sure it’s ok for everyone else ?. You always looked out for your sister and her children.
R I P Uncle Owen ❤️

Mick Moohan

Owen was a Top Bloke , thoughtful, considerate & always supportive of those around him. A tremendous Clubman, thoroughly dedicated & driven to do the very best he could, but to him the Team was always as important as his own (top class) performances. He had a wonderful sense of fun & humour & I will always miss the sight of a glint appearing in his eye with a cheeky half grin to accompany it & then preparing for one of his hilarious observations, often at my own expense but always justified & presented with & received with great humour & obvious friendship . A great loss for our clubs & all in the running community who were lucky enough to know him.

Terry Knightley

I first met Owen on Sunday 10th June 1989 at The Barnston Five Mile Race where, as an unattached runner, He and Andy Horlock both persuaded me to join Barking Road Runners.

From that day, I did eventually join despite me telling him I did not want to take the sport seriously.

Owen became my really good friend and running inspiration and over the years we had so many many great times together and so many laughs - with his incredible sense of humour !

He was an extremely great runner and excelled in the veteran ranks but more importantly he was a kind and generous and likeable person whom I will miss greatly.

R.I.P. Owen - Goodbye and God Bless My Friend

Terry

Anthony nixon

My everlasting memory of Owen is the Essex Vets O50 Cross Country championships at Stubbers some years ago. The team race was touch and go and likely to have just one point in it. Andy Catton was 1st, Gary Murdoch 3rd, Martin Clarke 7th, but as is so often the case in team races it is the last scorer who is the critical one. Owen was the last scorer, was not especially fit and was struggling to hold his position. But somehow when it looked as though he just couldn't hold it any more he found something from somewhere, and held the position to the line. One of the gutsiest runs I have ever seen, and although all the runners count in a team race, on that day it was Owen's performance that secured the win. He ran many many great, higher level races in his time races in his time, but when I think of Owen I will always remember that race. Owen was an intelligent and witty man who was always fun to be around and it was a privilege to have known him.

ernie forsyth Chairman

Such sad news, I managed to speak to Owen recently at the Hilly 5. He was a great runner, as his records confirm, he battled his illness full on the same way that he raced. great respect to an Ilford AC legend who will be greatly missed not just because he was a great athlete but also a really nice fella. Rest in peace Owen and deepest condolences to his family

Joan De’ath

My darling Owen - I am heartbroken. I can’t believe you are not here but you have left me with so many happy memories. I am so proud of your achievements throughout your running career, you were exceptional. You had a unique sense of humour and made me laugh every day. You tried so hard to beat this awful disease and we still enjoyed our walks over the park until the chest infection took hold of you too. Love you always. Joan. ♥️

Gareth Davies

Owen was my next door neighbour. He was a lovely guy. I never had the chance to run with him, but he was always willing to share his valuable knowledge with me. He was so modest about his numerous remarkable running achievements and remains an inspiration for me to aim for elite performance as a runner who is now amongst the vets.

Mart

Owen….It was an absolute pleasure to have known you as a friend, training partner and travelling companion.
You were very wicked making a less than fit Andy Catton hoot with discomfort on those infamously manic “Tomswood Hill” training runs, still more teaching the young pup Alex Wragg a severe lesson he will never forget when he thought he could take you on. I made the same mistake at Barking once and ended having to pay for your “Old Gits Challenge” winners trophy as per our agreement.
My “blanket” finish at the Abingdon marathon seemed to amuse you. It wasn’t that we had crossed the finish line together for you had dropped me at 20 miles when I shouted “run your own race”, a statement which also seemed to make you smile and have often since quoted back to me, but you and Joan came looking for me at the end and found me under a blanket a St Johns ambulance person had lovingly thrown over me when I had turned a brighter shade of green. As you know one is oft prone to experience a slight queasy feeling on completion of 26 odd miles?
The excursions to Lake Vrynwy, Malta, and Brugge were excellent weren’t they? Do you remember the guest house in Brugge when a few of us took the bathroom basin plumbing apart looking for Murdock’s contact lens after a good night out? In the morning the nice landlady accused us of being very noisy last night but you assured her that you thought it was the old German couple who dressed both identically and fluorescently. She replied in her French / Belgian intonation “I am thinking it was YOU”. Oh how we tittered. Of course the following year we had a different host, a dull and very weird Belgian, nowhere near as friendly, who used to go out hunting animals in the middle of the night which he then stuffed and kept around the place in glass cabinets, presumably to deter any more guests from ever coming to stay. He wouldn’t let you and Joan sit in the garden remember which somewhat irked you both. My lad was with me that year and was experiencing stomach pains at breakfast….”Coconut is good for that” he said…”Oh Thank you” said I. “We haven’t got any” came the reply. Nice guy eh? “What can you do?”
By the way I could never work out whether West Ham or Dagenham and Redbridge was your preferred choice of team. You always said “Dagenham is always my first team, Mart” but wasn’t that every time we went to the pub to watch the West Ham / Spurs game and Shaka Hislop had just let one in. “I can’t believe the Hammers have had all the game and are losing” you would advise me. I couldn't fault your loyalty, only your match analysis.
So many amusing stories and fond memories my friend but I should leave some for others to tell.
The Running World will greatly miss you.
God Bless and RIP.

Kim

A kind, funny, supportive, inspirational man. A true gentleman whom I was lucky enough to have known and run with, although well behind. RIP Owen ?

Andy Horlock

I heard today of the death of a long-time friend and former training partner. He had been diagnosed with a form of cancer earlier in the year and because of it’s terminal nature had elected not to have chemotherapy as he wanted the best quality of life he could have in the short time he had remaining.
I first met him in 1987 when he came to the stand Barking Road Runners had at the Dagenham Town Show at the time to attract new members – He soon became an integral part of the so called ‘suicide squad’ eyeballs out around the streets of Barking and Dagenham, trips to Holland, Malta and Le Touquet in France. He had a calculating mind – we used to take part in the London League at the end of the 80s, start of the 90s, an event that was based on points, his analytical mind calculating points and getting the best out of all the runners. He excelled at relays, he loved the London to Brighton Relay but the Essex Way Relay was what he loved best – cajoling, encouraging and putting together the teams – and he provided the mini bus which carried us along the 84 mile length – all at his own cost. We won that event from ’92 to 97 except 96 when we came second (I didn’t run that year coincidence – probably). The one I remember most is when on an 8 mile leg he badly twisted his ankle tearing his ligaments in the process but he pushed on to maintain our lead – he needed the hospital but in agreement with everyone in the team we carried on to the finish, grabbed the trophy and left for home via the A&E. From a personal point of view, I remember a 5 mile race we went to, a local affair where kicking for home about 4 miles from the finish I sprinted off to break my opponents on a sharp up hill – as I slowed he passed me laughing his head off, he said I looked like a ball that had been rolled up hill which had gradually lost momentum and rolled down again – I didn’t win the race – (nor did he) We spent a lot of training runs together, pounding out the miles around the streets, never easy runs as one or all of our group would push on - giving no quarter – In those runs we chatted and put the world to rights, both committee members, we never quite agreed with the format of the clubs handicap and spent many a 20 miler arguing and never agreeing – We got lost too – the week before his first London marathon he decided that a 12 miler would be in order and we decided to run the last 6 miles of the marathon course and back – of course we got lost and an easy 12 miler turned into a fraught 16 – Another occasion he wanted to do a 21 miler so we agreed to meet ahead of the Brentwood Half Marathon and do an early 8 – before taking part in the Brentwood ‘alf for fun. Of course we got lost and when we arrived back at the start we were 15 minutes late - Turning round we caught the tail enders after 3 miles and went on to complete the run in 1:37 – a net time of 1:22 for the half itself – He was very much the driving force behind the success of Barking Road Runners at that time – but of course all things come to an end and he went off to Ilford Athletic Club with other members where he still holds their over 50 marathon record – and had run 77 minutes for the Southend half way back in 2001 – Goodbye mate – RIP and thanks for the memories the friendship and the runs, as a group we certainly pulled the best out of ourselves