In Memoriam

Raymond Turner died peacefully in Malvern on Tuesday 25th June.

He was a highly-regarded English teacher, Playroom Master and he founded the HLHCT (formerly known as the Higher Line Handicapped Children’s Trust) – the Stonyhurst Children’s Holiday Trust.

His Requiem Mass will take place on Monday 15th July at 12 noon at St Wulstan’s RC Church, Wells R., Little Malvern, Worcs. WR14 4JL

Dermot’s funeral service will take place on 26th July 2024 at 10:00am at St Peter’s Catholic Church (Dormer Place, Leamington Spa, CV32 5AA), then move at 11:30am to Oakley Wood Crematorium (Oakley Wood, Bishops Tachbrook, Leamington Spa, CV33 9QP).  His wake will follow this at St Patrick’s Irish Club (Riverside, Adelaide Road, Leamington Spa, CV32 5AH).

Stephanie died on 30th June 2024

Jonny died on the 21st June 2024.

Richard died on 10th May 2024

Guy died in August 2022.

Michael died on April 5th 2024.

Godfrey died on the April 8th 2024.

Fr Francis died on 14th May 2024, his funeral will be at Our Lady of the Rosary, 211 Old Marylebone Road, Marylebone NW1 5QT on Tuesday 4th June at 11.30am.

https://www.pillarcatholic.com/p/fr-francis-wahle-a-priest-who-escaped

David died on the 1st April 2024. He was the father of Jeremy Barnes OS 87, and the brother of Fr Michael Barnes SJ.

Jeremy paid tribute to his father, which can be seen here:  https://baldheadteacher.co.uk/2024/05/06/dad/

James Joseph Michael Green (Michael) OS 1958 – 1965 died on March 11^th 2024 in a Dun Laoghaire nursing home. He had been diagnosed with early onset vascular dementia in July 2022 but in fact had Lewy body dementia, a far more aggressive and invasive disease. The last 10 months of his life were spent either in hospital or in the nursing home and he had little or no quality of life. His health deteriorated rapidly from Christmas 2023 and, while his passing saddened those he left behind, it was a merciful release.

Michael went to SMH in 1958 aged 11 and left Stonyhurst in 1965. His dad, James R C Green, his paternal uncle Kensey, and his maternal uncle James Joseph (Joe) Jackman also attended the College, so his place of schooling was predestined, as was that of his brothers Kensey OS 73  & John OS 76.

He enjoyed his days at school and was proud to call himself an OS. He was an accomplished student without being brilliant (his words) but, above all other subjects taught at Stonyhurst, he developed a passion for (though not always matched by an expertise in) sport, something which continued right to the end of his life. Even when his mental confusion was at its worst and he was unable to recognise his family or his surroundings, he could still correctly tell us that Shamrock Rovers had won, that the favourite was out of the Champion Hurdle and the German (meaning the Liverpool manager, Jurgen Klopp) had resigned. At Christmas in St. James’ Hospital we found him pointing out to an Indian male nurse his bent fingers and crowned teeth, cricketing injuries picked up as 2^nd XI wicketkeeper, the pinnacle of his sporting achievements at the College.

After leaving Stonyhurst, Michael went to Trinity College, Dublin to do a pre-med course but he soon jumped ship and qualified as a solicitor, joining his dad in Maxwell Weldon and Darley solicitors (now Mullany Walsh Maxwells LLP) along with another OS Hubert Woulfe Flanagan. The firm has posted the following on its website:

“Michael was an accomplished legal practitioner advising many educational institutions and religious orders on all aspects of property and trust law, with particular expertise in complex conveyancing, property and charity law. For many years, he also lectured and tutored in the Law Society of Ireland in the area of landlord and tenant law. During his 50 years in the legal profession, he was always very generous with his time and willingly shared his vast knowledge with colleagues.”

Rightly, what he cherished most from his time at the College were the friends he made and he went out of his way to sustain those friendships. That a group from his Playroom endeavoured to meet annually, even 50 years after leaving the College, was a source of great delight to Michael. It was a disappointment when Covid-19 interrupted those gatherings, though Michael was naturally much more distressed by the loss of his younger sister Fran, after contracting the disease in Italy.

In the 1970s Michael was a brancardier on the Stonyhurst pilgrimage to Lourdes; an event he really enjoyed, especially as it enabled him to meet up with his College friends. Another pilgrimage, which Michael would make annually almost to the end of his life, was to the Cheltenham Festival, where he would meet Paul Mathieu OS 64 and Anthony De Freitas OS 64 and many other OS and their friends. Thankfully, this pilgrimage was about the occasion, not the gambling, since one infamous year Michael returned declaring he had had 18 bets and 17 losers!

At home Michael was active in the SVP (St Vincent de Paul) for almost 50 years and served on the board of Stewarts Hospital for 30 years. He was involved in Glasthule parish, the one he was born into, right until his passing. He was captain of Killiney Golf Club and a lifelong supporter and member of Shamrock Rovers Football Club. He did marry in his early fifties, but this came to an amicable end in 2016.

Michael loved life most when he was amongst friends, and he was blessed with many friends from so many diverse parts of his life.

Ar dheis De go raibh a anam (may his faithful soul be at the right hand of God).

Mick Thorpe, who died on 5th May 2024, was a Stonyhurst parent from 1975 until 1987. He was the husband of Sheila who survives him, father of Martin OS 80, Chris OS 82, Richard OS 82, Malcolm OS 83, Greg OS 87 and Fiona, and grandfather of ten, including Paddy OS 16. For 2 years from 1978 to 1980 he had the “privilege” of having five boys on the Stonyhurst campus at the same time. Mick was born in Hull in 1931 where he was educated by the Marist Brothers before studying Law at Manchester University. He moved to Scarborough in 1955 and became the Founding Partner of Thorpe & Co Solicitors. He married Sheila in 1961.

It was decided that their boys would be educated at St Martin’s Prep School near Helmsley, an independent school but a well-known feeder to Ampleforth. Mick subsequently stated that having visited the two principal Catholic schools in the north he decided that he preferred Jesuit methods to the Benedictines’ and that is why the family spent so many years travelling across the Pennines to school and back. He immersed himself into the Stonyhurst family from the start, taking the whole of his family to (one of?) the first Easter Retreat(s) in 1976 and for many subsequent years. Mick and Sheila joined the pilgrimage to Lourdes for a few years in the 1980s.

Mick’s life was one of service to others. In his time, he was National President of Round Table, a Rotarian and Catenian. He was a founding Trustee of St Catherine’s Hospice in Scarborough and subsequently Chairman of Help the Hospices (now Hospice UK). After retirement he trained as a Spiritual Director and led prayer groups. For his lifelong service to the Church, he was a recipient of the Bene Merenti medal. Mick lived with dementia for many years and had been in a specialist care home since January 2023. He was a man of great faith who died peacefully with family at his side.

Michael died on April 20th 2024.

Christopher died on April 7th 2024

Angus died on the 25th March 2024. The Funeral Mass for Angus will take place in St Peter’s Church, Stonyhurst, on Thursday 2nd May at 11.00am.

The funeral will be a military one, with colleagues from the Royal Navy in attendance, and there will be a funeral procession starting at the memorial in the village up to the College.

As the procession from the village will take some time, may I ask that if you plan to attend, that you take your seats in St Peter’s by 10.30am.

The Mass is being livestreamed for those that cannot attend. Please click the link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VcExXbWPxGg

Helen died on April 2nd 2024.

Christopher died on March 29th 2024 at home in Somerset with his devoted wife, Arabella, and their children and grandchildren beside him.  His funeral will be on April 27th.

Shirley died on December 27th 2023

David died on 27th August 2023

Robert died on 27th February 2024.

The Funeral Mass for Robert  will take place at

The Sacred Heart Church, Edge Hill, Wimbledon, London SW19 4LU on Monday 25th March at 4pm

There is limited parking in the church car park, and if you park there, you will need to enter your car registration number in the machine at the back of the church. There is controlled parking in the neighbouring streets and some parking by the Common, a 15 minute walk away.

For those who are not able to attend in person, there is live streaming at the church. To access this, please use this link: https://www.churchservices.tv/wimbledon/

David died on 28th November 2023.

Michael died on 18th December 2023.

John died on 15th November 2023.