Stanley Gordon Tomlin
1930-2002
It was with great regret that we heard of the death of Stan Tomlin, founder of the Hastings and Rother Family History Society.
Stan, a Sussex Man through and through, was born in Hastings. The baby of a family of five, he served in the Sussex Police in Brighton, Hove and Chailey On his retirement from the Police he became an Animal Inspection Officer for East Sussex County Council.
Stan was a great upholder of the law and would leave no stone unturned to trace anyone in breach of bylaws. He has been known to wait all night to check on any animals being moved without the right paperwork. And last year we saw some of the devastating effects of unlicensed movement of animals.
Stan formed the Hastings and Rother Family History Group with the same eye for detail and getting things right. The success of the society owes much to his firm handling of committee matters and setting out the constitution. He felt greatly honoured when the Society made him Life President, and just before he died, named the research library the Tomlin Room.
His own Family History was just as well ordered. I worked with him for over 25 years on the Tomlin family and he would record and double check it in minute detail. He wrote a book on Hastings Volunteer Firemen - of whom his father and Grandfather were two. His illness was bravely borne, and there was still laughter and the odd difference of opinion about the Family Tree. Even his funeral was planned to make sure it ran smoothly, and the large number of people who attended was one sign of how much he was loved. A loved and Loving Husband, Father, Brother and Uncle he leaves a Widow, Two sons, and grandchildren. He was a very special man who will be missed by all who knew him.
Rest in Peace Uncle Stan.
– Jean Donaldson.