Former officer lived life full of action

Every aspect of Gordon Naylor’s life has come full circle.

He was there when the Berlin Wall was built, and when it was torn down. He lost his wife in Hospice North Shore, found a new love there and then died there himself. The former British Intelligence officer died on August 2, aged 83, after a life full of action.

Naylor was a duty officer when the Berlin Wall was constructed and he returned there in 1989 with his daughter Hannah Samuel, to tear it down.

‘‘It was a closing of a circle,’’ Samuel said. ‘‘He got a couple pieces of the wall because it was close to his heart.’’

In later life, after moving to New Zealand to be close to family, Naylor delivered talks to groups on the topic of the wall. Another full circle in Naylor’s life was his relationship with Hospice.

His wife of 46 years, Angela, died of cancer in the care of North Shore Hospice and Naylor eventually joined a grief group there.

At the group, Naylor met Jean. They were both from Yorkshire in the United Kingdom and eventually got together. Naylor’s other daughter Catherine Kelley said when her father went back into hospice a few weeks ago, it was again like coming full circle.

‘‘The hospice was there at the beginning. He found hospice and a reason for living there, then he had another 16 years with Jean.’’

The family was encouraging people to donate to Hospice.

Naylor celebrated Yorkshire Day on August 1 every year. He had told his daughters he wanted to live till then, Kelley said. ‘‘Come first of August, Dad was extremely ill but he made it,’’ she said. ‘‘I went out and got all the ingredients for Yorkshire puddings.’’

Kelley said her father would be well remembered because of his involvement in many different things. As well as telling clubs about the wall, he got involved with hearing dogs. He sung in the North Shore Men’s Choir and later lived Knightsbridge Village in Mairangi Bay.

Catherine’s husband Allister Kelley, officiated at the service for Naylor and said the spread of people showed the range of things he’d done with his life.

‘‘Of all of these things he achieved in his life, the thing that spoke to me the most was all these people in the chapters in his life,’’ he said. ‘‘It’s all about the people he inspired.’’

Born on November 13, 1933, Naylor served in the British Intelligence from July 1951 to December 1974. He collected 11 medals and spoke six languages.

‘‘He was proud of his achievements, but he was prouder still of his family,’’ said Samuel.

Gordon Naylor, a former British Intelligence Officer, saw the Berlin Wall built and later pulled down.