My uncle Howel Jones, who has died aged 96, was a teacher dedicated to the Methodist church, the application of his faith to local government and to young people, including his own large family, to whom he also imparted unwavering devotion to Liverpool FC.
He was born in Childwall, a suburb of Liverpool, to Welsh-speaking parents, Dilys (nee Jones) and Eames Jones, who were both office clerks. Howel, along with his brother, Glyn, and sister, Gwenda, was taken every Sunday to a Welsh chapel, where he did not understand a word. This might have put a child off religion for ever, but instead, Christianity became the bedrock of Howel’s life. In 1939 the family became founder members of Childwall Valley Methodist church, where, aged 16, Howel felt called to be a local preacher.
