We are heartbroken to announce the passing of our member and friend, CLIVE ROFFE.
Eulogy from Daniel
There is only one subject matter which has consumed all of our thoughts recently, which is the sad and untimely passing of Clive Roffe of blessed memory. Clive took pride over the way he conducted his life, and lived what I call a Judaism of responsibility. Clive had a passion for actively engaging in Jewish life with all of its ritual practice, both in the home, the Synagogue which he so loved, as well as beyond, always taking personal responsibility to live his Jewish life (al Kiddush Hashem) in a way that would reflect sanctifying Gods name.
Clive was a selfless, and devoted individual, obsessed not with the self, the me and the I, but the we, the us, and the collective as a whole. He loved and cared for the people of his faith, but actually he loved and cared for all peoples. He was driven by a sense of justice and compassion for every single human being, and of valuing the dignity of the individual and the sanctity of all human life. For Clive it was about what difference can I make. How can I
best serve, support, contribute, and enrich the lives of others and through this, build a society that would honour the world as God’s work.
Clive understood that true Heroic Leadership begins by taking responsibility, not relying on the possibility that someone else will, but instead stepping up to the plate, taking ownership for whatever needed to be done in that very moment.
It is difficult if not impossible for us to think of Clive in the past tense. In reality though, he will never exist in the past, such was his legacy. Clive lived up to his name meaning blessing. He was indeed a blessing to us all.
May we be comforted by the sure knowledge that Clive’s remarkable legacy will live on in the hearts and minds of the countless people he touched, and may the memory of this most remarkable man be for an eternal blessing always.
Eulogy from Peter Prinsley
Clive was born in 1935 in Harley St. He has sadly died in Norwich age 87…His parents were Nettie Roffe (ne Levy) and Phillip Roffe who was always called Jack for some reason. Clive had an older brother, Malcolm. Clive grew up in Brighton. He once told me he had a clear memory of watching bombs fall from German aircraft on to the town as a small boy although earlier he had been evacuated to Salisbury.
I will miss him dreadfully. We got to know each other only later in his life when he came to live in Norwich and became such an important member of the Shul. President, Representative of the BoD and regular Minyan Man. A man with the wants and needs of the congregation at his heart. Most of all he became our close friend and we regarded him as family in Norwich.
Clive was clever but not a natural academic. His beloved brother Malcolm went to Oxford and law but Clive was set for a commercial and business career. With a modest sum to start out before long Clive was prospering in the cloth and fabric trade. CBR Fabrics, Shanklin Dying with factories in Brighton, Bradford and London. When he was 30 he launched a public company called Jersey Mills. In the days long before the internet moguls perhaps the youngest person to launch a public company and then there were the Omnishops in London that his daughter, Natasha, told me were a real favourite of the girls when they were growing up.
He was an interesting man with many interests. He played table tennis to international standards, he was a long serving Lavender Hill magistrate and had an amazing breadth of life experience. He led a dazzling life in London and would be seen at Ascot and Henley. He met Princess Diana and was invited to the palace. He had flat in New York on Park Ave in the same building as Woody Allen. He became a Lloyds Underwriter and in 1999 he was installed as Master of the Worshipful Company of Upholders in the City of London at the Bevis Marks Synagogue in a wonderful ceremony that Matthew, his stepson, has described as the best in Anglo Jewry where different cultures, different religions can co-exist in harmony for the betterment of all citizens. Clive brought these values of dignity and integrity to all of his roles.
He and his first wife, Jackie had 2 daughters Danielle and Natasha of whom he was immensely proud. Danielle, a theatrical voice coach, is married to Yair and lives in Australia. Clive was proud also of their 2 sons, Gem 12 and Zen 10. Natasha, a therapist who works with children, lives in London and has a lovely partner Tim who has been so supportive in these final weeks. Family seders with invitations to all are a fond memory for Danielle and Natasha. Clive was a greatdriving enthusiast. I’ll miss seeing him in his distinguished old Merc which he would drive all over the place until only a few weeks ago although it became increasingly difficult to actually see him as he had shrunk below the dashboard and it looked as if the old car was driving itself. It has outlived him as he predicted it would.
Clive had a life of mixed fortune and a times his life certainly took surprising turns. He had a commercial property business which he was running right up until his final illness with an office in Beccles. He was a strong supporter of the State of Israel and the Labour friends of Israel. He travelled to Israel shortly after the 6 day war and Natasha has told me that the family believed Clive was probably a Mossad agent at some point and although I think this may be hard to prove, he undoubtedly had something of a James Bond like character even in old age with his sharp wit and delightful dress sense.
In Norwich Clive was married for a second time to Michelle and a step father to Kate and to Matthew and they lived in a gorgeous house in Reedham in the Broads where I recall his 70th Birthday party when the waiters turned out to be operatic singers in disguise who suddenly burst in to song. Then to the lovely old house in the Cathedral Close where they had many friends and parties. When this marriage came to an end Clive relocated to a smaller house round the corner in the Close and continued to enjoy the company of his friends and neighbours and the Strangers Club and The Norwich Club. He simply loved talking to people. He understood faith and the importance of interfaith and he will be missed by his friends in the Cathedral Community.
Many will know of the story of the medieval bones found in a well during the construction of the Chapelfield shopping centre first revealed to the world in a BBC documentary. It was with Clive that I first went to meet the county archaeologists and it was Clive who realised the great significance of this discovery and who was so dogged in his intention to have the bones reburied in our Cemetery. The bones were subsequently the subject of further DNA analysis just published and Clive was so delighted when I rang him just a few weeks ago to explain how the DNA science had proved what he had always believed, and which was such a vindication for his determination to give the remains a Jewish burial.
Clive, a good and and kind man, died at the end of Hannukah when we light all of the candles. Clive was a light unto the lives of all who knew him. Rest in peace dear friend. ShaIom Chaver. We will always remember you.
Peter Prinsley