Richard had a good send off today thanks to Geoff and Mrs Geoff for organising, just got back a little the worse for wear. They asked me if I would post the tribute to Richard that I read out during the service:
RICHARD WILLIAM FUGL was born in Southend in 1950, the eldest son of Victor and Betty Fugl and had a younger brother Robert. Richard went with his brother to Avenue Road, Pre-school where they met Geoff and Chris Bowmen and then later they all went to Victoria Avenue Primary School and fifty years later they were still friends. I met Richard a little later as I went to school with his brother, and later I along with the Fugls and the Bowmans started going on the coaches to watch Southend United play away and it was here that Richard made other great friends like Keith, Charlie, John, Richard P Nobbler. etc. again friends that lasted a lifetime. Richard didn’t make friends easily, he didn’t want to, he didn’t suffer fools gladly, but once a friendship had been made it would last and he was remarkably loyal.
For those that went on those Southend United coaches with Richard and others with a shared love of Southend United, will all have vivid memory of the trips, many leaving overnight on Friday nights to such wonderful places as Darlington, Workington, Halifax, Rochdale, Swansea etc.
In the early 1970s Richard and I hitch hiked to the Munich Beer Festival, but I must confess it wasn’t the Germanic way of life that interested him, although he was impressed by beer being served in litre mugs rather than pint mugs. He stayed late one night and got a taxi back simply saying “Camping Platz”, unfortunately the driver took him to the wrong one and when he eventually arrived at the correct one he was quite upset at how much he had been charged, mind you it had been a 20 mile detour. Richard would recall the story many times each time with a smile and a twinkle in his eye.
I remember one Friday night being in the Spread when Southend weren’t playing the next day as they had been knocked out of the Cup. “How about hitch hiking to Liverpool?” he said, “when” I said “now” he replied. So off we went and reached Liverpool in one lift, from a lorry arriving at the docks early morning. We helped the driver unload his lorry, had breakfast in a transport cafe with the driver, helped a stranger push his broken down car. Richard was in his element. When it came to football Richard went to see Liverpool while I went to see Everton. The journey home was harder but we were entering London early Sunday Morning when the van we had a lift in was stopped by the Police. “Where have you lads been” they asked, at the same time Richard said Liverpool and I said Everton. The policeman took some convincing but eventually believed that we weren’t the two lads escaped from borstal that they were looking for. “That’s what I get for travelling with someone as shifty as you” said Richard.
Richard used to go to the Spread on a Sunday lunchtime and meet a blind man Duggie who would be there with his guide dog. However the time came when he had to have a new dog as the current one was getting too old, Duggie was heartbroken. Richard stepped in and took over the old dog and every Sunday would take him to the Spread to meet Duggie and his new dog.
When he left Southend he became a post master and general store keeper in a village called Stewkley just outside Leighton Buzzard. The reason behind being a post master in a village was because his favourite television programme was All Creatures Great and Small. He could not become a vet but he could be a post master. He became the King pin of the village with his sense of humour and friendly disposition. .After his step-dad died they had a fire at the property soon after which made them move on. They then moved to Wenhaston near to Dunwich, Suffolk. Later after his mother died he returned to Southend, first to Eastwood and then Westcliff.
We were all shocked by the early death of Keithie (Gus) Summers, and at his wake we decided to have a series of Memorial Away matches to remember Keith. The first was to Notts County and the years seemed to have rolled back and we were the same group of youngsters again, it was a wonderful day one which Keith would have approved of and was followed by several following outings. Who knows we could have similar trips for Richard.
His brother Robert sadly also passed away a couple of years ago, it seems harsh that three of our group have gone at such an early age. The last words that Richard said to me was “Do you remember Notts County, what a day” with that twinkle in his eye.
Richard was a good mate, a giant in every sense of the word
