Peter Birch Obituary and Memorial

After a seven-year battle with Alzheimer’s disease and vascular dementia, my father Peter passed away at the age of 85. Peter was born on 25 August 1938 in the village of Quinton, Birmingham, central England. He had an older brother Gordon. As a young boy, Peter lived through the Birmingham Blitz which was heavily bombed by the Nazi German Luftwaffe between August 1940 and July 1942. Peter broke a leg falling through a floorboard when playing in a bombed out house.

As a teenager, Peter moved to Torbay, South Devon, where his parents ran a guest house. During the summers, he picked winkles from the shoreline and sold them locally, marking the beginning of his entrepreneurial journey.
He studied at University College London, where he met my mother, Ida, who was studying at King's College London. They remained together for over 60 years of marriage until my mother passed away from Alzheimer’s disease and vascular dementia in 2022.

After their degrees, my parents moved to Cambridge, where my father pursued a PhD in Botany at Fitzwilliam College. During this period, he challenged the exclusion of women from dining at Fitzwilliam’s high table, leading to my mother becoming the first woman invited to dine with the fellows there. My father became a coxswain in the college rowing crew that he thoroughly enjoyed.

Following a brief and successful corporate career, my father decided to become his own boss. He established an agricultural consultancy, which he ran from our family home in Hertfordshire. Later, among other interests, he invented new products, wrote song lyrics, and a children’s book.

Throughout my childhood, he was deeply involved in our lives. He participated in school fundraisers, organized events, and always found creative ways to keep us engaged and away from the TV, which he considered mind-numbing. He devised games and built structures in the garden, fostering a dynamic and imaginative environment, as well as ensuring we undertook out-of-school activities such as swimming, tennis, cycling, skateboarding, roller skating, and trampolining.

My father’s entrepreneurial spirit was a source of inspiration for my own endeavors. My bedroom was adjacent to his office, and I often heard him on the phone pitching new product ideas. His confidence and creativity were awe-inspiring. Among his many innovations was a unique type of dental floss, which became a family highlight when we saw it on the shelves of Boots the Chemist. Peter collaborated with composers to have music put to some of his lyrics, and he found great pleasure and joy in having some songs recorded, visiting the recording studios, meeting the artists, and being involved throughout the whole process.

I am profoundly grateful to both of my parents for providing a loving, stable, and supportive upbringing for my brother Paul, my sister Hilary, and me. I am especially thankful to Hilary for her dedicated care for both our parents during their battles with Alzheimer’s disease and vascular dementia, ensuring they had the best quality of life possible during those difficult times.
Peter was a devoted husband to Ida. He leaves behind three children and five grandchildren. Peter's legacy of love, innovation, dedication, and determination will continue to inspire us all.

Michael Birch (son)