We heard the sad news of Bernie's passing with the following message  -

"W.Bro Bernie Boyce passed away peacefully at home last Monday evening after a long battle with Prostate Cancer.

The funeral service & cremation for Bernie will be held at :

14:15 on Tuesday 27th January -

New Southgate Crematorium,
Brunswick Park Road,
New Southgate,
London N11 1JJ

His wife Dawn invites everyone who wants to attend - and asks for no flowers, please, Donations to either of Bernie's favourite charities, Macmillan Cancer Support or the Prostate Cancer Research Foundation, would be most welcome.

You will not be surprised that Bernie's last wish was that he could have one more drink with all his old friends at his local. Consequently we are all invited to belatedly share that drink with him at the 3 Wishes Pub - 749 Green Lanes, Winchmore Hill, London N21 3SA after the funeral.

If you are unable to make it to the funeral or the pub, he asks you to raise a glass with him next time you have one in your hand & share that virtual last drink with him."

In the early days of LLs, Bernie was a great recruiter of potential Members - indeed he was originally "responsible" for getting Pin (a Past Chairman of LLs', now Secretary & Webmaster) along to London Lunchtimers for the very first time. Pin remembers...

"I first met Bernie when we were at Dirty Dicks (opposite Liverpool St station - and a popular haunt  for PAWs in the early days) when we had all gathered to welcome Haydn Jones on one of his visits to the mainland from one of UK's 'offshore banking' islands.

Bernie and I had 'met' on the CompuServe Masonry forum and during one of our forum discussions had talked about drinking "when hands were on the square". He added that it was usually "at 9:00" - but I reminded him that in Johannesburg when we used to have "tailgate parties in the car park" after some Masonic meetings frequently we would do the same much later "...because the hands are also square at 3:00 in the morning!!!" Well, it was then that Bernie said we had to meet for a drink, and he insisted that I came to Dirty Dicks on a PAW night. Naturally, we made a considerable effort to identify & make a bee-line for one another!

That particular night (early in 1996) there was a great deal of talk about Masonry generally, one of the main topics being the proposed founding of Internet Lodge (now UGLE 9659, Province of East Lancs.) which we were both interested in. On 29 January 1998 that Lodge was consecrated, with Bernie as one of the Founders, and I was privileged to be his guest at the Consecration whilst staying with him and his (then) wife at his home in Macclesfield.

Anyway, Bernie and I realised that we were not only 'Brothers' but also "kindred spirits"! He made it quite clear of the dire consequences if I did not accompany him as HIS guest to "...something I'm sure you'll enjoy, Pin - London Lunchtimers". That was to be at the May meeting in 1996, & since then...."
 

We will all miss his cheery humour, generosity and good nature. Let's make sure we all raise a glass to him.

Those attending Bernie's funeral included LLs Life President Nick 'Le Grand' Alexander, LLs Secretary & Webmaster Mike 'pin' Pinfield, and LLs member Steve Bennett  - who all expressed their condolences to his widow, fellow Lunchtimer Dawn Boyce.

Online condolences were also received from:
John & Connie Ross-Barnard, Gerry Brown, Suzanne Josefowicz, Chris Haskins, Maxine Besser,