A shy man who loved to socialise
HE WAS a watch repairer and an avid Cardiff City supporter, and was known for his sense of humour and knack for quizzes.
Tributes have been paid to Cardiff man John Sargent following his death on September 30 aged 79.
Born in Manor Street, Heath, as the eldest of three children, John attended Allensbank School until the age of 15.
From there he passed up the chance to go to college, and started training as a watchmaker shortly afterwards.
For John, however, life was not all about work, and it was while attending a dance in the Paget Rooms, Penarth, in 1960 that he met Jean – the woman that was to share his life for the next 58 years.
Their courtship continued through his national service, and they were married following his discharge in 1962.
By 1967 they had two children to support and, to do so, John tried several different jobs.
Primarily though, he was a watch repairer, working firstly for O’Connell’s, then Jonathan David, two jewellers based in the city centre.
He worked for the latter for decades, right up until his retirement a few years ago.
John, paradoxically, was a shy man yet one that loved socialising – the Cornwall, Legends club and Kitty Flynn’s were among his favourite haunts.
He enjoyed competition too, being a staunch Bluebirds supporter.
The grandfather of two was involved in darts teams in the 1970s and ’80s, quiz teams in the 1990s and skittles for the last 30 years or more.
It was through quizzes that he also had a brush with TV, appearing on a Channel Four quiz show.
John discovered the travel bug quite late in life, enjoying his times in Bruges, Prague and Madeira among others.
Before then he enjoyed boating on the Norfolk Broads, with mishaps that occurred during those trips soon passing into family legend.
John leaves behind his siblings, Christine and Roger, his widow Jean, son Howard and daughter Helen, their partners Helen and Nick, and grandchildren Robbie and Eleri.
Described as a man “for whom the phrase ‘a life well lived’ could well have been invented”, he will be missed by all for his “irreplaceable” sense of humour.