Steve Catchpool Shepley-born former Examiner journalist

ORMER Examiner journalist Steve Catchpool, who has died aged 69 following a short illness, laid claim to being the youngest newspaper editor in the country during his days working on the Holme Valley Express.

He had joined the weekly after serving his indentures as a trainee reporter at the South Yorkshire Times in Mexborough and quickly rose to become editor of the Holmfirth paper before joining the Examiner in the mid 1970s.

Steve, who was Shepley born and bred, attended Holme Valley Grammar School, now Honley High School, where he decided he wanted to be a journalist. He was influenced in his decision by family friend and former Examiner assistant editor and later deputy editor Melvyn Briggs.

From the Holme Valley Express Steve joined the Examiner at Ramsden Street as a reporter before moving into the sub-editor’s department where he became deputy chief sub-editor and, in the 1980s, chief sub-editor. He also wrote regular columns as the Examiner’s TV critic.

After the Examiner acquired the Holme Valley Express and closed the Holmfirth office, Steve returned to overseeing its production based at the Examiner offices. When the weekly titles were discontinued Steve worked on the production of the Examiner up to his retirement in 2013.

Steve met his wife Carol at the South Yorkshire Times where she worked in the advertising department. Together, the couple, who married when Steve was 21, travelled extensively, visiting most European countries, New Zealand and the Far East.

Steve also had strong connections with Ireland, writing features for the Examiner on his regular golfing holidays to the country where he made many friends.

He was a member of Holmfirth Round Table for several years and served a term as chairman in the 1980s. He was also interested in cars, at one stage owning an MG TF 1950s sports car.

Steve, who lived at Birdsedge, has a brother, Andrew, and a sister, Diane.

Andrew, an Examiner photographer who was born 12 years after Steve, said: “Because I was considerably younger than him he treated me a little bit like a son. He was very supportive in whatever I wanted to do and always took an interest in what I was doing. He supported me when I went into journalism. He was a proper big brother. We were very proud of him.”

A funeral service will be held at 1.15pm on Wednesday, November 22, at Huddersfield Crematorium followed by a wake at Wortley Hall, Wortley, near Penistone.