Wellingborough residents invited to pay respects to 'free spirit' Keith on his final journey

Keith Moyce was a well-known face in Wellingborough town centre
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Friends and acquaintances of a much-loved Wellingborough man who has died have been invited to pay their respects as his cortège passes through the streets of his beloved town.

Keith Moyce's funeral will take place on Friday (May 29) but due to social distancing rules only a handful of mourners will be allowed inside the venue.

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To allow Keith's many pals to say their final farewell, his daughter Kayleigh Millar has arranged for his hearse to take a tour round Wellingborough town centre - a place he visited daily.

Kayleigh said: "He was very well known and he would often sit in the shopping centre - everyone knew him.

"He was always laughing and had a good sense of humour and would help people out.

"When he did pass, I was sent so many messages by people. I was overwhelmed by the response so I decided I could do something so that people can say their last goodbyes."

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Keith, who was born on the island Saint Helena, and moved to Wellingborough as a young man, died suddenly on May 7 of a non-Covid-related illness at his home in Kettering.

Keith MoyceKeith Moyce
Keith Moyce

Well-known for keeping chickens and geese on his allotment, Kayleigh fondly remembers her father's care for her as a child.

In his later life he left his Wellingborough home and moved into a flat in Kettering but still travelled by bus every day to spend time in his hometown.

Kayleigh, 30, said: "He would sit in the Swansgate or at the food van on the market. If I wanted to see him he would always be there.

"He was a free spirit even when he got his flat.

Keith MoyceKeith Moyce
Keith Moyce
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"He devoted his time to me. He brought me up as a single dad. It was just me and him out all day and every day. Even now I like being outdoors.

"He loved his allotment and his animals - chicken and geese and always had dogs. If anyone had a dog that needed re-homing he'd always have it."

Keith's funeral cortège will set off from Buckwell End at approximately 3.35pm on Friday and continue into West Villa Road, turning left into Oxford Street into High Street, until Church Street following the one-way system onto Alma Street, Cannon Street before coming down Cambridge Street and finally round into Midland Road.

The final town centre journey is expected to take 15 minutes.

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Kayleigh said: "I want to say a big thank you to everyone for their messages of condolences following my dad's passing. It is lovely to see how many people's lives he brought joy to.

"Nobody seemed to have a bad word to say about him. He was always chatting and you would never hear him complain."

She added: "Dad will take one last trip into Wellingborough town centre so people can say their goodbyes if they wish.They can't come to the funeral but they can pay their respects this way."

Friend and community volunteer, Wendy Steele, said: "Keith was a dear friend, a loveable character. He was well known in Wellingborough.

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"I was very fond of him, and we always used to chat and laugh, on Wellingborough Saturday market He once nominated me for a local community award.

"He was a comical character - a lovable rogue who loved the outdoor life and talked about his chickens and his goose.

"I helped him look up St Helena on a computer and we would buy each other coffees. He was lovely and I'm going to miss him."

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