Former full-back passes away.
Wycombe Wanderers are sad to announce the second death inside a week of a former player. After news of the death of Derrick Draffan, the family of Jack Timberlake revealed he too had passed away last Thursday, May 14. He was 83 and had suffered dementia for some time.
A hard-tackling full-back, Jack spent three years at Loakes Park – mainly turning out for the highly-successful Reserve side which carried all before them in that era. Players like John Beck, Jim Moring, Jim Truett , Mike Brown, George Pullin and Alistair Lewis blocked a regular place in the first team, but he played five times for the senior side before turning to coaching.
He managed Marlow for a spell and although living in Flackwell Heath was the inspiration behind the Wooburn Wasps team which gave many youngsters their first chance in football. He was pleased to see son Russ get a brief chance at Wycombe in the early 80s and was delighted with the progress made by grandson and namesake Jack who is a promising striker.
The Timberlake family has a long association with the Wanderers, his Uncle John captaining the side that lifted the 1931 FA Amateur Cup although he missed the Final because of injury. John went on to a long backroom role with the Blues and was chairman from 1951-54 before becoming President for a decade.
Jack was a furniture worker at Ercolani before joining wife Pat running the Post Office and general store in Wooburn. She survives him along with son Russ, daughter Karen, four grandchildren and two great grandchildren. The funeral, attended by close family only due to the current Coronavirus outbreak, will be held at Amersham Crematorium on Tuesday, June 2. It is hoped to have a party celebrating Jack’s life later in the year.
The funeral of Derrick Draffan, who died last Friday, will be held on Monday June 15. With mourners also restricted, it’s hoped the cortege will pass close to his ‘second’ home of Ellesborough Golf Club and his old shop in Prestwood High Street before reaching Amersham Crematorium at 2pm.
Photo: Jack Timberlake (inset) is shown with Wycombe’s large 1959-60 playing squad. His Uncle and former Wanderers’ captain John Timberlake is centre of the second row