York Minster

The Very Rev'd Dean Raymond Furnell

Published Tuesday 11th July 2006 by Eleanor Course

The Very Revd Dr Raymond Furnell, Dean of York from 1994 to 2003, died on the evening of Monday 10th July at his home in Bury St Edmunds.  He was aged 71, and had been suffering from cancer. 

Raymond Furnell was born in 1935, attended Lincoln Theological College, and was priested in 1966.  He was a curate in Cannock, Litchfield Diocese from 1965 to 1969, and Vicar of Clayton 1969 to 1975.  He was the Rural Dean of Stoke North from 1975 to 1981, and Provost of Bury St Edmunds from 1981 to 1994.

The current Dean of York, the Very Revd Keith Jones, said, “We have been very sorry to hear of the illness and now the death of Raymond Furnell, and we give thanks to God for the many good things he contributed to York and its Minster.  His vigour and diligence guided the Minster to create a new Constitution, which arose from a Parliamentary Measure which he had himself helped to frame.  He understood the importance of good relations with the city and the university, and made many good allies in the business community of the area.  York will always associate his name with the Millennium Mystery Plays in the Minster in 2000, which was one of the country’s major success stories of the Millennium.

“I first knew Ray in Suffolk, when I greatly enjoyed the way he chaired the Diocesan Advisory Committee, which guides policies for church buildings.  He was then Provost of St Edmundsbury, and a lively leader who energised others and got things done.  Rare is the day that passes when, in relation to something or other, I do not feel grateful for what Raymond Furnell achieved in his years at York.  All of us at the Minster hold him, Sherril and their family, with thankfulness before God.”

Dr Richard Shephard, the Minster’s Director of Development, said, “Ray Furnell led from the front. He was a man of strong views and boundless energy who was determined that York Minster should be a model of excellent practice, and a centre both spiritually and culturally of the City and County.

“He achieved an enormous amount both locally and nationally. He was a most important member of the Archbishops’ Commission on Cathedrals, and of the Commission on Royal Peculiars, and helped to frame the legislation which led to the current statutory provision for all of the English cathedrals. Ray Furnell was a prominent figure in the life of the City and County of York. He served on many committees and applied his analytical skills and incisive mind to the good of the wider community.

“In the Minster he was pivotal in pushing for the Millennium Mystery Plays which would not have happened without his vision and energy. He bore his final illness with faith and fortitude, supported by his wife Sherril who was a tower of strength throughout his ministry in York.”