Tuesday 30 April 2013

GWB

That's my father.  We called him Papa.  He was ill for a while and on Sunday morning he died.  I am not after sympathy but I wanted to just say what a cool bloke he was.  Last year thanks to the RP election I wanted to do a portrait of him but he went down hill before I got around to it and I wanted to remember him as he was for 99.999% of his life.  I did do some drawings though.  In fact the last one was on 30th December.  He was a mad reader - he'd read anything! We reckon he'd read the instructions on a Tampax box if it was in front of him! So this picture makes me laugh:
I don't know if you can read my scrawl but is 'Papa reading 'Now we are Six'' 11/4/2012.
We put together an Obituary for the Newbury Weekly News which is a tad cheaper than the Times (blimey a comma costs £5) which we also did.  This is the NWN one:


Geoffrey William Brown, 11th October 1929 – 28th April 2013

Born in Baghdad to Henry Wilfred and Hilda Mary Brown, he left at 4 years, continuing his childhood in the Woodley area with his sister Patricia.
He was schooled at Marlborough College and, after a period of National Service, went on to study Modern Languages at Brasenose College, Oxford specialising in Romance Philology (language derivations from Latin).
After he graduated he took up a teaching post at Horris Hill prep school where he met his wife Julia. He later moved to Redrice School Andover teaching French. As his hearing diminished, he retrained at Newbury college in Mathematics which he taught for many years before finally moving to Saint Mary’s, Wantage, to teach Computer Studies.
Married in 1961, Geoffrey and Julia had 5 children, the youngest, Helena, who sadly died aged 18 in 1991, spurred them both into a ten year ‘Walking for Epilepsy’ campaign raising over £37,000.
It is hard to say where he was happiest: in a book, with his electronics and computers, watching cricket, collecting fire wood from the woods around his home in Oare, boating on the river and canal, walking, or of course, playing golf. While he suffered throughout his life from deafness, latterly to a severe extent, he never let his condition get in the way of life and friendship.
He had been ill for some time and died peacefully with his family around him at the Royal Berkshire Hospital, Reading, leaving his wife Julia, four children and ten devoted grandchildren. A charming, intelligent man with a great sense of humour, he will be deeply missed by all who knew him.

3 comments:

  1. Very sad to hear of your loss, a very moving obituary and a beautiful drawing one which I am sure you and your family will cherish.
    Was very excited to receive your DVD in the post today which was a present from my wife. Just watched it and wanted to say how much I enjoyed it. Your paintings are fantastic and you have a wonderful down to earth manner. Truly inspiring!

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  2. Lovely tribute to your dad Pete. I lost my dad in 1991, but the description of your dad could have been mine. My commiserations.
    On a lighter note, I very much enjoyed your long-awaited DVD - great to see the brush in action, along with the very ordinary, unpretentious and humourous commentary from an extraordinary painter. Bravo!

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  3. So sad Peter. But he must have been a wonderful dad to you all. Very learnedly person also. I can feel for him regarding his Hearing problem, I`m not too good in that arear either. God bless him eh? peter. I saw your exhibition at Messum`s. Fantastic. All the best peter.
    Vic.

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