I first met John shortly after arriving at St Michael's. Although he was a day-boy and I was a boarder we quickly became firm friends. I have been living in Australia for the past 25 years, yet we managed to remain in contact. His letters, addressed in his untidy scrawl and with a rubber stamp of his address on the rear of the envelope, were a familiar sight to me. On my infrequent trips back to England, I could be sure of a warm welcome at the home of John and his lovely wife Cheryl, on a hillside overlooking the beautiful city of Bath. The house has provided a secure and loving home to their two children (now young adults) Katherine and James. A significant feature of John's life was his devoted attention to his mother, now in her nineties, who lives in a large property at Peel on the Isle of Man. Four times a year, John would
faithfully go over to "the Island" to attend to maintenance chores and the like. He did confide in
me, however, that he found the journey somewhat irksome.
When I returned home from work recently there was a letter from England in a handwriting I did not recognise. I was surprised, therefore, to see the familiar address stamp on the rear. The letter was from Cheryl. She said that John had been setting off on one of his visits to Peel. His family had seen him off from the house on the local bus into town, but he had collapsed by the time it reached the terminus, and efforts at revival had proved fruitless.
I had known that Jonn had heart trouble, but that knowledge does not lessen the shock of learning of the passing of someone I had known for much of my life. Indeed, everything had seemed to be going well with John despite his heart problems. I was able to stay with John and Cheryl on a visit to England in March of 1999, and while there I had driven John to an appointment with his consultant for a check-up. When he came out, John assured me cheerfully that he had been given a good prognosis. Cheryl tells me that he had seen his family doctor just recently and had received an excellent report. His death therefore was wholly unexpected.
What can I say about John? In many ways he was a "model citizen" - a dedicated civil servant and family man. But his apparently humdrum life concealed a vivid imagination. He had at one stage wanted to join the RAF but a defective eye ruled out that course. One of his passions, which gave expression to his imagination, was painting - especially of seascapes.
Naval battles and sea storms, as well as placid scenes of sailing ships and ocean liners, showed his love of the sea. His paintings may not have been high art, but they conveyed a sense of deep interest and involvement in maritime themes, and I am not surprised that those paintings that John felt able to part with (he would never have parted with all of them) found a ready outlet through an art shop on the Isle of Man. John was full of plans for his later years. Cheryl has told me of plans she and John had for travel - he was especially attracted to Scotland - in the leisure they had hoped would be theirs now that the children had grown up.
Another feature of John's life was his love of his childhood home of Glastonbury steeped as it is in Arthurian legend and medieval history. I shall long remember the visit we made there from Bath, one chilly March day during my stay with John and Cheryl last year. It is there that John has been laid to rest. I much regret that I could not be there for the service.
Like all of us, John had his shortcomings. He certainly had a stubborn streak, and was not afraid to express himself bluntly - some might have thought of him as opinionated. Yet behind this somewhat bluff exterior lay a kind and loving man. I have already spoken of his great dedication to his mother. That he was a loving and devoted family man is beyond dispute.
John came from a strong Anglican background. It is true to say, I think, that he was not overtly religious, but he assured me that he retained his faith.
I shall never forget his kind and caring support, going far beyond mere conventional expression of sympathy, when I went through a crisis some years ago. Yet my loss of a good friend is of little consequence compared with the great loss suffered by his family. I am deeply grateful to Cheryl for taking the trouble to write me a personal letter so soon after her bereavement. My wife and I hope to visit England next year and if so it will be our privilege to visit Cheryl. She has, of course, my heartfelt sympathy, as indeed do Katherine and James, and Mrs Hollingworth senior. John's family are his memorial.
Vale, John. Rest in peace.
Alvin Hopper
June 2000.
