The funeral of Graham Taylor OBE, former Watford FC, Aston Villa and England manager, was held at St. Mary's Church in Watford yesterday.
Amongst the large number of mourners were Sir Alex Ferguson, Arsene Wenger and Watford captain Troy Deeney. Other football stars who came to show their respect were former England players John Barnes, Luther Blissett and David Platt.
The husband, father and grandfather sadly died on January 12th, aged 72, following a suspected heart attack and crowds of nearly 1,500 gathered in streets along the funeral procession and around the church, many wearing the colours of Watford FC
The service was led by Reverend Tony Rindl and the Union Flag covered Mr Taylor's coffin, on which his OBE was placed. The first hymn - Lead Us Heavenly Father Lead Us - was sung at his wedding to wife Rita and his family gave loving tributes. His daughter joked "'Family first, except on match days', he used to say" and his grandchildren said "You always did make us feel so special and so loved. We'll continue to make you proud. You'll never know how much we'll miss you."
Although former Watford FC owner Sir Elton John was unable to attend the funeral, former BBC commentator John Motson read a moving tribute on his behalf.
The Elected Mayor of Watford, Baroness Dorothy Thornhill MBE, represented the town. She said: “Graham's ethos that Watford FC players are part of our community continues to this day. If you could describe Graham in a word it would be ‘decent’. He embodied everything good about football, and he believed that Watford Football Club wasn’t just another business – it was part of what made our town what it is."
“Graham believed that the club had a huge role to play in the town – and his players had a duty to involve themselves in the community. Watford FC’s Community Sports and Education Trust were one of the first to be set up in the country, now dozens of clubs have them.”
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