Wilfred Ralph King

Born in Bangalore, India, to Ralph George and Charlotte Maud, Wilfred attended Bishop Cotton’s School and then Madras Christian College. He was the youngest of three boys – George and Edwin were his brothers and they were all fiercely loyal Cottonians.

In 1950 he joined the teaching faculty of Barnes High School in Devlali, India. He later became First Assistant Master and was a very well-loved teacher of Physics, Chemistry and Math, preparing students for their GCE ‘O’ levels. He was known in Barnes for his active participation in sports (wicketkeeper in cricket) and he measured and laid down the athletics track for the conversion from Imperial to Metric. In Madras, he was a pole-vaulter among other sports.

In 1965 he was head-hunted and joined the Council for the ISC Examinations. He managed the transition of exam question paper setting and marking from Cambridge, UK, to India which was implemented fully by 1972. Wilfred retired in 1992 as Secretary of the Council.

It was in Barnes High School that he met a young widow, Dilara Joshua (nee Haidar Ali). They were married in 1952. Their children, Gillian and David were born in Devlali. Prior to that, Dilara had a son, Jamil (Bobby) who passed in 2015. Twin brothers, Alfred and Ralph, were delivered prematurely and passed in 1956.

Wilfred was always the strong, quiet one. His passion was choir singing. He continued singing in his church choir until August 2020 by which time his illness overtook him. His handshake was always a reminder of his character – strong, firm and inspiring confidence.

He was continually devoted to his wife, Dilara, and December 2020 would have made it 68 years of marriage. Dilara and Wilfred moved to Canada in 2000 to live with David and they enjoyed life in Canada. Wilfred was well-known for his daily walks and visits to local stores.

His passing is an irreplaceable loss to Dilara, Gillian, David and Dechu as well as a large extended family mostly in India. He is mourned by his grandchildren (Mark, Iona, Ianthe, Karen, Luke, Christopher, Paul, Ashwin, and Anita) and great-grandchildren (Sara, Leia, Rachel, Rebekah, Kaleb and Evelyn).

In accordance with Wilfred’s wishes, cremation has taken place. If you wish to make a donation in his name, please do so to a charity of your choice. If you’d like to support the fight on prostate cancer go to Movember.com (https://movember.com/m/oldmachead?mc=1).