Business and charity hero loses fight for life
ONE of Plymouth’s most respected businessmen has died a day after a railway locomotive was named in his honour for services to the city.
Steve Whiteway, aged 61, was a campaigner who raised more than £750,000 for charitable causes.
He left his hospital bed, where he was fighting pancreatic cancer, to visit Plymouth railway station last Thursday.
Sadly his family have confirmed that he died at Derriford Hospital at about 10.30pm the following day.
His widow, Diana, said that he passed away peacefully with herself and daughter Lucy at his bedside, as well as close friends Marilyn Grose and Steve Kerswill.
Mr Whiteway was with Lucy and son Chris to see the Great Western Railway class 802 locomotive pull in for the first time, emblazoned with the words: “Steve Whiteway, volunteering and serving the Plymouth community for over 50 years”.
His passing has provoked an outpouring of tributes for a man who colleagues estimate has helped more than 160 charities.
Leanne Elliott was typical on social media when she wrote: “For those of you that knew him, you’ll know Steve Whiteway was a legend.
“He could hug for England, would do anything for anyone, raised £1,000s upon £1,000s for charity and could talk without drawing for breath!
“He knew most people and if he didn’t he’d make a point of finding out who they were.”
Mr Whiteway, a director of Devon and Plymouth Chamber of Commerce, dedicated his life to helping others, whether small businesses needing a leg up or community organisations in need of funds.
Among his accolades were the Prime Minister’s Points of Light award and being named one of Western Morning News parent company Reach Plc’s 100 Great Westerners in 2017.
That prompted GWR to name a train in his honour, putting him in the company of national treasures such as poet Sir John Betjeman, Monty Python’s Michael Palin, and Covid-era fund-raiser Captain Tom Moore.
Mr Whiteway, who was accompanied by a small number of close friends and family members to view the train, said last Thursday that he felt lucky despite his illness. He told WMN writer William Telford: “Maybe I’m a regional treasure now. This is tremendous, I’m honoured and humbled.”
Diagnosed with his illness in the early days of the coronavirus lockdown, he thanked NHS staff at Derriford Hospital’s Brent Ward, and colleagues from Plymouth’s St Luke’s Hospice, for arranging the event – and GWR for giving him such “an amazing honour”.
Mr Whiteway was born in the Stonehouse area of Plymouth in 1958. His bank manager father taught him the importance of community, and especially the role of entrepreneurs and businesses, “the backbone of the British economy”, he said.
His career took him into banking and finance, and then marketing, including a stint working in Dubai. More recently, he spent seven years with Devon Contract Waste.
Mr Whiteway was also a director of the Plymouth Area Business Council, which has a membership of 250 key business, academic, and educational leaders in the city.