Man killed in crash near Leiston was Chairman of Halesworth Town football club
57 year old William Kerslake was fatally injured in a crash between a car and a motorbike last month
A motorcyclist killed in a crash near Leiston last month has been named as 57 year old William Kerslake - the chairman of Halesworth Town FC.
Police were called on June 27 to the B1122 near Theberton, at the junction with Potter's Street, after a crash involving a red Ducati motorcycle and a silver Ford Fiesta.
William, who was riding the bike, suffered serious injuries and died at the scene.
The driver of the car, a 36 year old man, has been questioned on suspicion of causing death by careless driving whilst under influence of drink or drugs.
He has been bailed until September.
The family have written the following tribute to William:
There are no words to describe the pain and grief that the whole family is feeling at this time.
We are all so proud of what Will achieved in his life, but are even more proud of the man he was. Will was a kind, loving and selfless man, who gained the respect, love and admiration of the family, and community as a whole.
Will began his working life as a bricklayer, before going on to start his own business, this expanded to what is now Kerslake construction Ltd, a successful local construction company over the past 30 years, to which Will owned and directed.
The extreme success of his business over this period is down to high standards and quality of work, along with the friendly and personable touch of the employees, all of which come back to Will, and his character and leadership.
This family run business comprises of nephews, brothers in law and friends alike, all of who mourn the loss of our dear Will who simply cannot be replaced.
Outside of work, Will had many hobbies. Will loved luxurious holidays with fiancée Jane, mountain biking in Dunwich and Tunstall forest with friends and family, yearly trips to Wales on his motorbike and trips all over the UK shooting.
Will was also the chairman of Halesworth Town football club and loved watching local football, following sons Ryan and Toby every Saturday for the last 15 years.
Will simply loved to help and make a positive difference in the lives of people in the local community, we know he has already achieved this aim.
Although Will lived a life of success, both in business and personal ventures, he also suffered with his own grief.
Will has lost his Sister (Angie), brother in law (Danny), Nephew (Jamie), partner and mother to sons (Beverly), mother (Erna), and in more recent times brother (John) and father (Stanley).
Throughout these awful times of often tragedy, Will was the rock of the family, putting himself in situations of discomfort and distress to protect the family he so much adored. This was Will's selfless nature in clear view.
Will leaves behind partner of 22 years fiancée Jane, sons Toby and Ryan, step sons Kirt and Kain and their own children Rory and Tyler, who he loved to look after in more recent years, and who without doubt, loved him wholeheartedly.
He also leaves behind sister Jackie, nephew's Stuart and Reggie and niece Rebecca, who, among many others will miss Will's charm and kindness forevermore. Will leaves an irreplaceable hole in the lives of so many, and some personal family tributes are a below:
Fiancée Jane: "Love you Will, forever and ever because you are my forever".
Sons Ryan and Toby: "Dad, you were our hero, we will never forget the memories you gave us growing up and into our adult lives and we take pride in saying we had the best Dad in the world. Rest in peace Dad, we love you so much and we will never forget what you have done for us".
Step sons Kirt and Kain: "Will was a wonderful stepdad who supported us in everything we did. He was not only our step dad but a friend who we respected. He was the most amazing grandad who was adored by his grandsons Rory and Tyler.
"Their bond was so special, no one could get a look in when grandad was in the room. He loved teaching them new skills and when they were together you could always guarantee that the room would be filled with smiles and laughter".