Much-loved landlord dies at age of 89

A much-loved landlord who ran a pub in a Nottinghamshire village for 15 years has died at the age of 89 following a short illness.

Mr Peter Morris moved to The Fox, Kelham, in 1978 and stayed until his retirement in 1993.

His daughter, Mrs Pam White, said her father loved spending time with his grandchildren, his friends, and was a keen football fan.

He kept in touch with those close to him by using his iPhone.

“He texted people and if you were on his phone list, he would contact you,” said Mrs White.

“Even after he retired, people would still visit him at his home in the village.

“His grandchildren also visited him and he would then send them pictures of what he was up to.

“My dad would also always paint his own greetings cards for people, with things that were personal to who he was sending them to.”

Born in Nottingham, Mr Morris completed his national service in the RAF during the late 1940s before working for the Replacement Services company, which supplied car parts to motor traders.

He moved into the pub trade in Leicestershire in 1960. His uncle had worked for a brewery in Daybrook.

Community focus

Mrs White said he was used to the trade having grown up in it when he was younger.

“He thought the pub was his way to achieve success by having his own business and working in something that he knew,” she said.

Mr Morris spent four years in Leicestershire before taking over The Sea Around Us, in Loughborough, which he ran until 1978.

“It was a huge pub with a nautical theme,” said Mrs White. “There was even a 14-foot fishtank behind the bar.”

While Mrs White’s sister, Jan, remained in Loughborough due to work commitments, the family moved to Kelham in 1978.

The pub served as a focus for the community following a heavy snow fall in 1991.

“People would bring in their dinners and we would cook them,” said Mrs White. “We had open fires going to keep everyone warm.”

Mr Morris’ wife, Sylvia, died two years ago at the age of 88.

He had three grandchildren: Sam, Flora and Hamish. Sam died in 2013, following a battle against cancer.