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Search forRowing club mourns loss of 'wonderful guy'
Tuesday, October 28, 2008, 11:02
The father of two, known as 'Grimbo', suffered a massive stroke as he walked alongside the river last Wednesday.
Despite a battle to save his life, he died in hospital in Torquay on Saturday.
Mr Grimes had been associated with the Totnes-Dart Rowing Club for more than 30 years and was considered an inspired cox.
On Sunday a crew of young rowers laid flowers on the River Dart in his memory.
Fellow rowing club official Alan Langmaid said: "It is a real tragedy. Steve was a wonderful guy. He was hugely generous and everyone just loved him."
Mr Grimes was the rowing club's safety officer and a member of the club committee who could always be relied on to be 'down to earth' and supply 'common sense'.
Mr Langmaid added: "He was one of those people who you could count as a very good friend. If I was in trouble I would not have hesitated to pick up the phone and call him knowing that he would help."
Mr Grimes was born in Ballymoney in Northern Ireland and came to Totnes with his family when his father retired from the RAF to work for the gas board.
He was a pupil at The Grove Primary School and the King Edward VI Community College in Totnes before leaving school to work at Vire Engineering as a precision engineer where he remained all his working life.
He and wife Lyn were married in 1982 and they have two children, Kelly, aged 24, and 19-year-old Megan.
She said the children had been left 'devastated' by his death. She added: "He was a lovely, lovely man and a dedicated father and husband."
She said that he had been a member of Totnes Sea Scouts as a lad and added: "From childhood he has been on the water. He was known as Grimbo by everyone."
Mr Grimes had been walking beside the River Dart near Totnes Weir, as he did most lunchtimes, when he suffered the stroke. He was found by a friend who called an ambulance and he was rushed to Torbay Hospital.
Rowing club chairman Andy Philips said: "It is perhaps a testament of the respect to Steve, when on Sunday, a young girls' crew who Steve had steered through many a regatta race, went out in their boat and stopped on the course to lay a garland of flowers on the water. It was a very touching moment.
"Later, they presented a card to me as club chairman. It was signed by them all, in a respectful gesture of the loss of a dedicated member and very good friend."
The funeral service is being held at 11am on Thursday, November 6, at St Mary's Church, Totnes.
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