Franklin To 1949–2023
Franklin To (2 February 1949–27 May 2023)
We are very sad to report the death of Frank To, who lost his long battle with throat cancer at the end of May.
Frank was a member of the Young Chelsea BC almost since its inception—he was a runner‑up in the very first YC Marathon held in 1973. He has formed partnerships with many YC stalwarts over the years, including Ian Payn, Rob Cliffe and Ian Gardiner, after whom the LMBA London Teams‑of‑Four Trophy is named. Frank was particularly pleased to win this trophy in four consecutive years between 2014 and 2017, wins that were in addition to his three earlier victories in the same competition in the 1980s.
Frank achieved many other successes at the bridge table, including winning the Tollemache Trophy four times as a member of the London team. The first of these wins was in 1983 and the last in 2016. The gap in his bridge career was filled by his family—he took a break from serious bridge after he married Macille, with whom he had three children—Ainsley, Christopher and Tiffany.
Frank was the kindest and gentlest of people—it would be impossible to find anyone to say a bad word about him. He will be much missed and we extend our sincere condolences to all of his family.
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The funeral will be on Friday 30 June at Kingston Crematorium, Bonner Hill Road, KT1 3EZ 11.00am–12:15pm (parking available). It will be followed by a reception at Elizabethan Suite, Glenmore House, 6 The Crescent, KT6 4BN 12.30-16:30pm (hot food with vegetarian options—parking available).
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Item posted 2 June 2023
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