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This is a tribute to Jean Bayliss by Steve Walker, Midlands District Chairman:
The death of a dear friend, Jean Bayliss has been announced last week. When I first visited the Midlands for a 25 in 1979, Jean was one of the timekeepers, together with her husband Fred. After I relocated to Warwickshire from Hampshire, Jean was a regular timekeeper at the Club TTs I rode. Jean was always a cheerful lady, encouraging riders in her lovely way. I learned over the years that Jean wasn’t just a local TT timekeeper, she covered every discipline within the cycling world. She’d be in the track centre at Saffron Lane for National Champs events, always smiling. Graham Obree’s Hour Record in Norway – Jean was timing him. She was the best at her job, and well respected by everyone who met her. She eventually retired from Timekeeping, but didn’t lose contact with our sport, subscribing to the “Comic” as we used to call Cycling Weekly, well into her 80s. Jean moved from her home in Farmer Ward Road, Kenilworth about 10 years ago, to live near her daughter in Dorset. We were happy to call on her in her West Moors apartment a few years ago, she asked us a lot of questions about the Midlands TT scene. I shall cherish those memories. Jean passed on her love of cycling to her other daughter Sue Kelly, and son Peter Bayliss who both still press a stopwatch into action from time to time.
RIP Jean