LOVING tributes have been paid to one of Portland's most popular figures, who has passed away aged 97.

Dennis John Fancy, who was known for running Fancy's Garage for decades on the island, passed peacefully away at Gracewell care home in Weymouth on October 7.

Dennis was a Portlander through and through - he was a loyal member of Portland's Court Leet for half a century and never missed a meeting.

Portland residents remember Dennis as a 'true gentleman', 'a fine and generous man' and 'a smashing fellow to do business with' who will be much missed. He survived many of his family members, losing his beloved wife Jessie in the early 1980s. The couple never had children.

Generous Dennis would give away ball bearings for youngsters to race with and inner tubes so they could have fun playing at Church Ope Cove.

Always calm in a crisis, Dennis wold go above and beyond for customers at the garage, even finding an emergency replacement car for one customer whose vehicle caught fire on the school run!

Dennis was a keen photographer and gardener - he was particularly fond of growing carnations of all hues.

In 1937 Dennis joined his dad Robert's family Portland garage business, working there until his retirement. The long family tradition of motoring went back to 1919, Robert Fancy was one of the first motorists to own a car on the island.

The popular garage kept a succession of Portland cars safely on the road. On October 15, 1985 the Dorset Evening Echo reported on Robert and Dennis's retirement.

Robert Fancy, also a member of the Court Leet, set up the island's first taxi service, which was extended to providing charabancs which were an extremely popular means for Portlanders to get out and about.

Upon reaching the required retirement age of 75 years from the Court Leet in 1998, Dennis was presented with a framed certificate of gratitude.

Dennis was only 25 when he received his first official summons in November 1948 'warning' him to attend the court as a juror. At that time, the Court met at the George Inn in Reforne before moving to Pennsylvania Castle Hotel and then the Portland Heights Hotel.

He also chalked up seven attendances at the Beating of the Bounds, which is held every seven years at the Portland Boundary Stone on Chesil Beach. Dennis recalled his first few times at this ceremony when the members of the court were rowed over the Fleet by fishermen who have now been replaced by soldiers from the Bridging Camp taking them over on pontoons.

He said: "Then we had a barrel of ale and a box of food to sustain us at the Boundary Stone before going back to the Masonic Hall in Chiswell for lunch, now we keep our appetites for the Masonic Hall."

Talking about the duties of a juror, he remarked that these haven't changed since Courts Leet and Baron were established centuries ago by the Saxons.

But change came in other directions with the establishment of women as full members of the Court and Dennis added: "We must always go forward, moving with the times and 1 am in favour of women having equal rights with men on Court Leet."

Upon his retirement from the Court Leet in 1998, Dennis said: "As far as equality for women was concerned, we were ahead of our time for my mother and then my sister drove the taxis regularly."

As far as it is known, Dennis is one of the longest ever serving members of Court Leet and he said that he will miss it very much when retirement came.

He added: "I have put my heart and soul into it for 50 years and it is a great institution, looking after the rights of Portlanders since time out of mind and long may it continue."

Dennis was very proud of the framed certificate illustrating parts of the minutes from the final meeting he attended, which he was presented with along with a professional camera tripod by Rex Comben, the foreman of the jury.

In 2013 Dennis had the honour of re-opening Wakeham's reconditioned iconic red phone box.

It was adopted by the Friends of Wakeham Phone Box, (FOWPB) for £1 and was brightened up to make it a focal point in the street with an information point containing maps of Portland, various matters relating to the island and a book swap section.

While cutting the ribbon to reopen the well loved phone box, Dennis said: “The phone box was saved at the 11th hour and the FOWPB formed as we all felt that it was important to keep old structures.”

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