Tributes paid to ‘gentleman’ Bryan Shearer (From York Press)

Tributes paid to ‘gentleman’ Bryan Shearer

8:50am Saturday 2nd February 2013 in News By Richard Catton & Stuart Martell

TRIBUTES have been paid to a respected York businessman and a leading figure in grassroots football who has died, aged 77.

Bryan Shearer, along with his wife, Margaret, were known to many as owners of Pextons hardware store in Bishopthorpe Road, which they ran for 25 years.

Mr Shearer’s love of football also saw him heavily involved in the local league game and he was made life vice-president of York FA as well as president of the York Minster Engineering league.

Friend and fellow member of the league committee, Colin Atkinson, 61, said Mr Shearer, who died on Monday, was a “gentleman”.

“He was very proud of his time as a player for the old Cliftonville side,” he said. “And he was probably one of the oldest serving members of the York League. He was at the final last year and he came to his final committee meeting about two months ago.

“He was what you would call a gentleman. He never lost his temper. All the clubs knew him.”

York & District Football Association president Roy Ellwood said: “I knew Bryan when he was playing in midfield for Cliftonville in the 1950s and 1960s, when they were one of the top sides.

“He was a personal friend and I played with him and against him many times.

“He served on the York FA committee from 1980 and you could not want for a better person. He imparted his football knowledge to anyone he could help. He used his wisdom for the benefit of football throughout the city.

“He was a hard worker at all our York FA finals and he will be sadly missed by everyone.”

Mr Shearer, who lived in Dunnington, will also be well remembered for running Pextons hardware shop, which he took on in 1974 – eventually retiring in 1999.

On his last day behind the counter he described his business as “a family shop where people could pop in and have a joke”.