Des de Silva Ticket Desk Supervisor
Sadly Des passed away following an accident whilst on holiday in Sri Lanka.
My sincere condolences go out to his family, friends and former colleagues at this sad time.
Des worked as a Ticket Desk Supervisor and was well known and popular at Gatwick.
The funeral was held on 27th August 2016 in Sri Lanka with his family in attendance.
Des had moved to Australia and was with his family in Sri Lanka, his son Stan was with him at the time.
My sincere condolences go out to his family, friends and former colleagues at this sad time.
Des worked as a Ticket Desk Supervisor and was well known and popular at Gatwick.
The funeral was held on 27th August 2016 in Sri Lanka with his family in attendance.
Des had moved to Australia and was with his family in Sri Lanka, his son Stan was with him at the time.
Des Remembered
From Patricia Stedman (now Todd)
Des was very well known and liked by so many people, so I am sure the news will spread quickly and Des will be remembered for his curries and many curry parties!!
From John Zareba :
Very sorry to hear our dear friend Des has died. He was a personality and a very likeable colleague for many years.
From Phil Bowell
Des was a character with a larger than life personality. Nothing was too much trouble for him and his customer service skills were second to none, but it is the personal side away from work I remember him for mostly.
Des’s very good friend was Stan Roberts, a fellow Flight catering Duty Officer. I grew to know Des well and liked him immensely. He will be remembered by many for his lavish dinner parties. They had to be held on his second day off as it took that long to prepare everything. Des lived in Brighton in a 3 or 4 story town house (can’t remember the exact number). He would prepare a Ceylonese Curry that had to be seen to be believed. The rooms were quite small so we normally had to go to the stairs leading to the 1st floor for the starters. The main course came from the kitchen but the accompanying dishes were on the stairs between the 1st and 2nd floor. Dessert - you guessed it - was on the stairs between the 2nd and 3rd floor. And so it went on. It was always of superb quality and I do not believe I ever had the same dish twice as he would experiment all the time.
A great chef, lively personality and great friend. Des, you will be sorely missed - definitely one of a kind. If I meet you upstairs, have dinner ready.
From Sandra Darlow (Chilton/Beeson)
What a lovely man and I also remember his wonderful parties and the superb food on offer. What great days they were. I also had an unforgettable holiday at his house in Monrovia - Patricia will remember that as well!! Sincere condolences to all his family.
From Leonard Crosbie
Following my time in BCAL as Customer Services Director, I was asked to operate Air Liberia with a small team of staff from Gatwick including Des. He proved to be a "class act" in challenging circumstances, especially relating to ticket security and booking practices; his Customer Service manner was superb. Hosting one of his memorable Curry Suppers, he dispensed food and "Good Cheer" which such charm and goodwill that one felt that Des de Silva was, without question, one of the "Good Guys".
From Andrew Watt : So sorry to hear that Des has passed away. It was such a pleasure to have known and worked with him.
From Sheila Williams (Hall/Dowley)
I was so saddened and shocked to hear of the awful news of Des’s tragic accident and subsequent passing from this life. It is a comfort to know that he would not have known what had happened to him. He was such a nice person, thoughtful and caring and good at his job. I was a Ticket Desk Supervisor when he came to work on the desk and soon progressed to Supervisor himself after I left. He was so knowledgeable and had many, many friends all over BCal - and as for his curry parties down his house in Hove…and yes, on many floors! All would go on to the early hours telling jokes and stories having enjoyed our fill of his amazing cooking!
I often visited him whilst on trips to Australia to see my brother, and was always made most welcome by Des. He always wanted to know how his friends were fairing back in the UK. He will be missed by many and my thoughts go out to his family at this sad time.
From Richard Webster
I was saddened to hear of the sudden passing away of Des whilst on holiday in Sri lanka. I had the pleasure of working alongside Des whilst on an exchange visit from Reservations. He was such a charming person. Always had a smile on his face, and helped me out during rush hour time at the Ticket Desk Terminal. He will be sadly missed
If you would like to leave a message in remembrance please drop me a line anytime
Close this page
.
From Patricia Stedman (now Todd)
Des was very well known and liked by so many people, so I am sure the news will spread quickly and Des will be remembered for his curries and many curry parties!!
From John Zareba :
Very sorry to hear our dear friend Des has died. He was a personality and a very likeable colleague for many years.
From Phil Bowell
Des was a character with a larger than life personality. Nothing was too much trouble for him and his customer service skills were second to none, but it is the personal side away from work I remember him for mostly.
Des’s very good friend was Stan Roberts, a fellow Flight catering Duty Officer. I grew to know Des well and liked him immensely. He will be remembered by many for his lavish dinner parties. They had to be held on his second day off as it took that long to prepare everything. Des lived in Brighton in a 3 or 4 story town house (can’t remember the exact number). He would prepare a Ceylonese Curry that had to be seen to be believed. The rooms were quite small so we normally had to go to the stairs leading to the 1st floor for the starters. The main course came from the kitchen but the accompanying dishes were on the stairs between the 1st and 2nd floor. Dessert - you guessed it - was on the stairs between the 2nd and 3rd floor. And so it went on. It was always of superb quality and I do not believe I ever had the same dish twice as he would experiment all the time.
A great chef, lively personality and great friend. Des, you will be sorely missed - definitely one of a kind. If I meet you upstairs, have dinner ready.
From Sandra Darlow (Chilton/Beeson)
What a lovely man and I also remember his wonderful parties and the superb food on offer. What great days they were. I also had an unforgettable holiday at his house in Monrovia - Patricia will remember that as well!! Sincere condolences to all his family.
From Leonard Crosbie
Following my time in BCAL as Customer Services Director, I was asked to operate Air Liberia with a small team of staff from Gatwick including Des. He proved to be a "class act" in challenging circumstances, especially relating to ticket security and booking practices; his Customer Service manner was superb. Hosting one of his memorable Curry Suppers, he dispensed food and "Good Cheer" which such charm and goodwill that one felt that Des de Silva was, without question, one of the "Good Guys".
From Andrew Watt : So sorry to hear that Des has passed away. It was such a pleasure to have known and worked with him.
From Sheila Williams (Hall/Dowley)
I was so saddened and shocked to hear of the awful news of Des’s tragic accident and subsequent passing from this life. It is a comfort to know that he would not have known what had happened to him. He was such a nice person, thoughtful and caring and good at his job. I was a Ticket Desk Supervisor when he came to work on the desk and soon progressed to Supervisor himself after I left. He was so knowledgeable and had many, many friends all over BCal - and as for his curry parties down his house in Hove…and yes, on many floors! All would go on to the early hours telling jokes and stories having enjoyed our fill of his amazing cooking!
I often visited him whilst on trips to Australia to see my brother, and was always made most welcome by Des. He always wanted to know how his friends were fairing back in the UK. He will be missed by many and my thoughts go out to his family at this sad time.
From Richard Webster
I was saddened to hear of the sudden passing away of Des whilst on holiday in Sri lanka. I had the pleasure of working alongside Des whilst on an exchange visit from Reservations. He was such a charming person. Always had a smile on his face, and helped me out during rush hour time at the Ticket Desk Terminal. He will be sadly missed
If you would like to leave a message in remembrance please drop me a line anytime
Close this page
.
Des at work with Sue Palmer - December 1974
