Ray Kelvin pays tribute to his parents

My father Alf was one of 6 kids, four brothers and two sisters. His parents left Russia (now Ukraine) in the early nineteen hundreds due to persecution and pogroms. He volunteered for the Royal Air force working on the mosquito aircraft and was posted overseas to Australia and India. On his return he unfortunately lost his first wife and was widowed with two children, Lorraine and Sandra. He later met Trudy and married in 1955 when Ray was born nine months later. Alf owned a small blouse manufacturing business in Tottenham and was a devoted family man who always put his family first. They were members of Cockfosters and N Southgate Synagogue from 1960 and attended the building pre Old Farm Avenue and always enjoyed attending Shul. In his later years he helped me build my businesses and specialised in managing the quality assurance side of manufacturing. Dad died at the age of 74 after a long illness but he had the pleasure of meeting his grandchild Ben who became the apple of his eye.

A proper person

My mother was born above the shop of Grandpa Simy even though she told everybody that she was born behind the Jewish piano (the till). Mum was evacuated to Cheltenham during the war but my grandparents Bessie and Simy brought her back quickly as they were concerned that Trudy might have been exposed to non Kosher foods. Trudy cared for her two step-daughters Lorraine and Sandra as any maternal mother would, and nursed my late dear sister Lorraine when she became ill until she sadly passed away aged only 52. Trudy loved 'Ted Baker Fashion' and was always at hand to help me and my team on the shop floor whether it was at Harrods or Covent Garden. She was known as 'Ted's mum' and became a celebrity in her own right. I had the pleasure of taking mum around the world where she helped in the opening of the stores from Singapore, Hong Kong, the Americas and Dubai. She loved the shop and the customers and they loved her. Trudy was a unique personality and could have hosted her own TV show. She passed away on October 31st 2010 and we are missing her jokes and hilarity.

A one and only