Tribute: Jack Vye

It’s with great sadness that we have to say goodbye to one of the IMI’s longest serving members. Jack Vye, born on the 9th December 1918, was a long-standing part of the Sussex MA and an integral part of the community, remembered fondly by his colleagues and peers.

“Jack was known as a firm but fair boss – one who drank his tea from a bone china cup and saucer. He seldom missed a committee meeting or lecture – except when on a cruise,” said Douglas Wragg, Key Contact for the Sussex MA.

He spent all of his working life in the motor industry, running garages in Sussex, and made a lasting impression on those he worked and interacted with.
 
“I will always picture Jack as a smartly dressed gentleman with a twinkle in his eye, a business brain as sharp as the best, generous and always ready to have a joke. I have known him as long as I can remember and he will leave a huge vacuum in all our lives here at Sussex MA,” said Mike Reed, Aftersales Manager, X-BeX Ltd.

A former apprentice under Vye, Malcom Johnson, now owner of Johnson’s Accident & Repair Centre added: “I started working for Jack when I was 15, two years later he put me on an apprenticeship. I remember him as always putting his customers first, and not allowing a job going out without personally checking it first. He instilled quality and was a great teacher. People use to say ‘If you want quality go to Vye’s.’”

In January 2019, in honour of his dedication to the industry and the IMI, he received the IMI’s Chairman’s award and life membership.

In an article published in the IMI’s MotorPro magazine, he recounted his life in the motor industry, how he passed his driving test and built his first car, an Austin 7 Special. A fitting tribute, in his own words, to an amazing man who passed away in September 2020 at the age of 101.