Table Tennis England is saddened to hear of the death of Vice-President and former National Councillor Erica Prean.
The wife of former ETTA Chairman John Prean, who died in 2013, and mother of England international Carl, Erica was in her own right a long-serving table tennis administrator.
She is pictured above, second from left in the front row, while John coaches Carl during a match.
Erica was born in Aachen, Germany, and came to England just before the Second World War as the Jewish community fled the Nazis. Her husband came to England from Austria around the same time.
The couple married in 1952 and settled in the Isle of Wight. Erica served for the Isle of Wight on National Council from 1980-85, 1996-2001 and 2009-13 and was Deputy National Councillor from 2004-2009.
She was General Secretary of the Isle of Wight TTA from 1980-85 and 1993-2012, Treasurer from 2009-12 and Company Member from 2003-12.
For the Isle of Wight Table Tennis League, she was Secretary in three stints (1979-85, 1996-2002 and 2003-12).
Erica, who became an ETTA Vice-President in 2014, died on December 23 at the age of 92.
Table Tennis England Honorary Life Member and former Deputy Chairman, Richard Scruton, said in tribute: “Erica was good company, erudite, cultured, well informed and a superb host at Ryde.”
Rob Sinclair, who was appointed ETTA General Secretary while John Prean was Chairman, said: “I had regular meetings with John. I was terrified, as a young whippersnapper, being summoned to the Isle of Wight.
“But the host was of course Erica, providing delicious meals and making me very welcome. She was a wonderful lady and incredibly friendly.
“I always found her very interesting and we used to have long conversations about culture and the arts, which I wasn’t really into at the time but which she made very interesting.”
Table Tennis England extends condolences to the family at this sad time.