It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our Honorary Life Member and great friend, Dick Cooper.
Dick was an ever-present face at Malvern Rugby Club for more years than most of us can remember and was very much part of the fabric of the club. But Dick wasn’t just a familiar face at Spring Lane, he was known and loved across Malvern.
A national-level runner in his younger years, Dick also spent many years as the caretaker at The Chase High School, where his personality and wicked sense of humour made him hugely popular with generations of pupils. There will be countless people across the town who have their own memories and stories of Dick.
At Malvern Rugby Club, Dick gave countless hours of his time over the years and turned his hand to just about everything from running onto the pitch with the bucket and sponge to tend to injured players, to cleaning the changing rooms every week, something he continued doing well into his 80s.
But for all his years of volunteering and service to the club, what so many of us will remember most is Dick’s wicked sense of humour and his ability to make people smile.
For generations of Malvern players, members and supporters, Dick was simply part of a Saturday at Spring Lane. You could almost guarantee he would be there in the Members Bar, pint in hand, ready with a story, a joke or a bit of mischief. Remarkably, even into his 90s, Dick was still joining us in the bar every Saturday last season.
It was therefore incredibly fitting that Dick was recently awarded Honorary Life Membership of Malvern Rugby Club, recognising his many years of service and volunteering. If there were an award for years spent making people smile, Dick would have been first in line for that one too.
Our thoughts are with Dick’s family and friends, and with everyone across Malvern who had the pleasure of knowing him.
As rugby returns to Spring Lane today, there will undoubtedly be something missing. But we like to think Dick will be joining his good friend Kevin for a pint in the Members Bar in the sky, looking down on us and probably having a laugh at our expense.
Rest in peace, Dick. Thank you for everything you gave to Malvern Rugby Club and to the wider Malvern community. You will be greatly missed, but never forgotten.
We will share details of Dick’s funeral with members and friends when we receive them.
