ROGER Jenkins, who has died aged 84, was a much-loved member of Oxford City Morris Men, dancing across the county and beyond for decades.

Mr Jenkins was first introduced to morris dancing while studying at Oxford University, igniting a passion that would stay with him for the rest of his life.

The solicitor lived in Iffley, within cycling distance of his office on the Cowley Road, which he set up as a sole practicioner in 1972.

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Roger Jenkins was born on July 8, 1934, in Wolverhampton.

He had a younger sister, Frances, but their childhoods were interrupted when the Second World War broke out in 1939.

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Oxford City Morris dancing at the Jericho Street Fair in 2014. Picture: Jon Lewis

Roger suddenly found himself in the small village of Mynypho, north Wales, where everyone spoke Welsh, but knuckled down and learned the language.

After the war, he returned to the West Midlands and earned a scholarship to a local grammar school, where he became head boy.

This helped him win another scholarship, this time to study classics, and then law, at St John’s College at the University of Oxford.

During his time at St John's, Mr Jenkins played chess and was a member of the swimming and water polo teams.

At the college, he became great friends with Ken Gardner, who encouraged him to join the Morris Dancing and Cecil Sharp Country Dancing Club.

Mr Gardner was the first of many friends Mr Jenkins made through the activity, which also saw him meet his wife, Gillian Squire.

At a morris and country dancing event, Gillian was intrigued by the laugh of a stranger from across the room - she was one of many people to comment on Mr Jenkins's laugh during his life.

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Oxford City Morris dancing at the 2016 Jericho Street Fair. Picture: Lucy Ford

After finishing his law degree in the late 1950s, Mr Jenkins completed his national service, training in Aldershot before being posted to British Malaya, now in Malaysia.

Mr Jenkins returned to the UK and began working as a solicitor in local government in Stoke, Luton and then Oldham, before coming back to Oxford.

He married Gillian in 1971. At the time he was working for solicitor Linnell Murphy, but one year later he set up as a sole practicioner.

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Mr Jenkins and his wife had two children, Susan and Ruth, born in 1972 and 1974 respectively.

The couple's morris dancing took them across Europe and they visited a German folk group in Bonn, one of Oxford's twin cities, several times.

The family lived on the edge of Iffley but continued to travel, although Mr Jenkins's fear of flying meant only destinations accessible by land and sea were an option.

However, this did not prevent them from broadening their horizons, with trips to Italy followed by a string of river cruises in later years.

Poignantly, Mr Jenkins attended his last session with the Oxford City Morris Men just one day before he died. The Wednesday evening practices were a staple for many years.

He passed away on Thursday, January 17, after suffering a heart attack, and is survived by his wife and daughters.

A private cremation will take place tomorrow, with a private thanksgiving service due to be held on Saturday.