Tony Argent was born in September 1945 in Danbury just after his twin sister Penny, at Danbury Palace (a bishop’s palace used as an emergency maternity home from 1939 to 1946). He grew up in Chelmsford and worshipped with his family at Chelmsford Cathedral, his parish church. There he became a chorister and discovered his passion for using music to praise God. This love of choral music stayed with him throughout his life. He left the choir after his voice broke, and became a server, and he was always happiest serving in church at sung Eucharist and Evensong. He met Mary in Chelmsford and they married there in April 1974 before moving to Heybridge to start their new life together. There they celebrated the births of Mary-Jo and Daniel and came to Brentwood in 1979. Tony took his responsibilities as a husband and father very seriously and always wanted to provide the best for his family. Although Tony was a dedicated server St Thomas’s in Brentwood, he never forgot his links with the Cathedral and continued to serve there until last year. Having left Braintree County High with one A-level in Chemistry, Tony embarked on a career in Analytical Chemistry at Ongar Agricultural Research Station, later joining the team at what was May & Baker (now Sanofi-Aventis) to analyse veterinary medicines and then human medicines in Dagenham. Tony studied while working full-time, gaining his Royal Society of Chemistry qualifications and Open University degree. He stayed with the same company for over 35 years before taking early retirement... but that was too boring, so he went to work at Moorfields Eye Hospital in London for almost ten years as a Qualified Person ensuring the quality of ophthalmic treatments. We have been touched to hear from old colleagues about his dedication to his work and the support he gave them in their own careers. He worked hard at his job, and always got up super early. But there was far more to Tony than his job. He had a lot of interests and always followed through on his commitments. As a young man, he was a keen member of the Gilbert & Sullivan Society. Daniel has followed this path also and actually met his wife, Gesine, through the Manchester branch. Tony’s love of folk music led him to Morris Dancing. He learned at Thaxted before his marriage, and then danced with Maldon Morris and latterly with Blackmore. For several years he was the Fifth Man of Blackmore Morris, which involved organizing the annual Day of Dance, and he was Squire from 1993 to 1994. Tony and Mary went with Blackmore on several trips to Europe to bring this fascinating and misunderstood traditional dance form to as many people as possible. Tony enjoyed gardening and this was a passion he shared with Mary. In addition to their own garden, he kept an allotment and produced some wonderful vegetables over the years... although they were not always appreciated by his children when they were small and fussy. In his youth, Tony travelled throughout Europe and in more recent years he and Mary enjoyed trips around the world. While he enjoyed the new experiences, he was always glad to return home. Tony loved Essex, and Morris dancing and gardening took him all over his beloved county, far away from the image of Essex that he saw portrayed in the press. Tony continued to be active in the community until the end of his life and his most recent interests included Probus Club, the University of the Third Age and conversational French. He and Mary were both qualified by birth to belong to the Danbury Babies group. Following his death, we have been comforted by messages of sympathy from all the friends Tony made, because they help us to remember him with a smile. Many people mentioned Tony’s sense of honour and the words “gentleman” and “kindness” have cropped up many times. He was indeed a fine and honourable man, but he also loved a good joke and often had a twinkle in his eye. We remember that he would put others before himself. That was Mary’s eternal criticism, but a virtue. He was a modest man. We were privileged to have him in our lives and we will miss him greatly, but we are grateful that he is now at peace.