06.02.2007

Anthony J Rumsby. 1940 - 2007

Tony Rumsby, Proprietor of Wonalift of Hevingham, Norwich, Norfolk died suddenly on January 24th aged 67.

He had three specific last wishes.

1. That his beloved Coles 825 was to transport him to his funeral.
2. That he was to be buried wearing his hard hat, coveralls, boots and Hi Viz jacket.
3. That his wife Lorraine, was to say a few words at his funeral.
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Tony Rumsby on route to his resting place

All three wishes were granted to prepare him for the next life and those in attendance heard Lorraine give tribute that left many hardened construction professionals with tears in their eyes.

To say Tony lead a colourful life would be an understatement. There are many stories, including one where on a site in Gt. Yarmouth, the agent explained he had a yellow and red card notice. One yellow card meaning you are being watched, two yellow lead to the red card, which means a sending off. Tony turned to the site agent and said, "I drive a crane, I do not play football, so stick that Red Card up your a**e" and drove off the site to another job.
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A hearse with a difference Tony Rumsby's last trip

Tony's days off with Lorraine, generally included a couple of site visits, or a stop to look at a crane he saw on a site he was passing! His site visits are a legend.

Always knowing his cranes could do the job, Rumsby’s main purpose was to check out how good the access was, so as not to scratch the paint work on his cranes or cover them with mud, if the access roads were too bad.

The industry has lost a true character and is the poorer for it.