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56 OBITUARIES

JOHN WHITELAW John and Chris were a good
team and, unlike plenty of
partnerships, I never heard
OLD RATCLIFFIAN 1962 - 1966 of them having a cross
JANUARY 1ST 1949 - OCTOBER 2ND 2016 word; through honesty and
integrity, the work came to
them, and both made a good
living from it. Unlike many of
his contemporaries from the
Little did I think that I would be writing an obituary for my good
friend, John, less than two years since the sad death of my first second-generation families
cousin, Paul Murphy (67), both lost to that dreadful disease (and I include in that the
which is cancer. Murphys, Lynches and Gambles,
who all benefited from a business legacy), John was a self-made
man, and he worked hard for his family and his living. His clients
Being around the same age, John, Paul and myself followed very included those friends who wanted his services not once, but
similar paths in our early days, starting at school at St Patrick’s, for several, repeat projects. That’s a rare thing to sustain, but
Leicester, where we took our first Holy Communion together. At because of John’s intrinsic honesty, it was managed seamlessly.
the age of 11, we moved to Grace Dieu, and then on to Ratcliffe
College. I was in the same class as John throughout, and at Grace
Dieu, we had the dubious distinction of being placed in a form On the sport and social side, John was great company, and we
called ‘Remove’. Another classmate at that time was Andrew shared many outings following Leicester City Football Club to
Gamble (68), but the stigma of ‘Remove’ did not have an adverse the far-flung reaches of Mansfield and Rotherham, and with the
impact, as we went on to make a fair fist of our commercial and Tigers, the slightly more exotic locations of Paris and Béziers.
business lives. The Cheltenham Festival in March was also an annual event. Our
host for many of those meetings gave tips that were as atrocious
as some of the garish attire worn by the Tweedie set at that
John and I both left Ratcliffe before the Sixth Form and were meeting. However, he came good at the Grand National when
glad to be out in the world. Although we left Ratcliffe, the School telling us to back ‘Rule the World’, which duly won at 50/1, and
and the Rosminians never quite left us, and we would often look John told me that he nearly kicked the telly in shouting it home.
back with an affection that we never felt at the time for the
various priests that we had encountered. Among those were
Claude Leetham (15) who, as Headmaster for his last (and our We would meet for a drink every Tuesday night, along with
first) term, took the assembly with his inimitable style and sense my cousins, Paul and Hugo, and put the world to rights - we
of theatre. Others were Fr Keith Tomlinson (52), Fr David Tobin were known as the Grumpy Old Men. Subjects discussed were
(59), Fr Harwood (44) and Fr Bernard Nann; he was in charge of numerous, not forgetting how we could make the swiftest and
discipline, and we deeply respected and admired him for being so most efficient payments possible to the Inland Revenue! John’s
scrupulously fair, even when he beat us! Brian Kennedy, who was stories of visits from the VAT man and VAT woman before the
on good terms with John, was there at the same time, and while digital age had us in stitches, but with his charm (and Vickie’s tea
he did not teach us directly, he set up the first Careers Office and cake), a settlement was usually reached at a good discount
with his usual thoughtfulness for those not making the grade. to the original demand.

After Ratcliffe, John returned to his family home in Thurmaston Finally, just a word on John’s spiritual life. He did not wear his
- to his father, Willie, his mother, May, and his brothers, Michael, faith as ashes on his forehead, but he never missed Sunday Mass
Liam and Pat. His first job was at the Hogg Robinson insurance and retained his faith to the end. Many years ago, my wife’s uncle,
company, where he met his future wife, Vickie, and love quickly who was a brother in the Passionist order, gave my mother a relic
blossomed. Theirs was a truly happy, fulfilled and sustained of Blessed Dominic Barberi, a fellow Passionist (who, like his
marriage based on love and mutual respect. From their union friend, the Rosminian Fr Luigi Gentili, was an Italian missionary
came William and Sarah; like their mother, they conducted to this country for the conversion of souls and for Christian
themselves with the greatest thoughtfulness and dignity when unity). At every visit, John blessed himself with this relic and
dealing with John’s rapid deterioration in the face of his failing said a prayer to Blessed Dominic, adding his own prayers and
health, ensuring that the arrangements that he wished for were intentions. I don’t know what those prayers were, but I would
carried out unaided and to the letter. He would have been very think that they were not for himself, since he was clearly far more
proud of them leaving no loose ends. conscious of others and what he could do for his cherished family
before he died.
John’s next job came when he joined the reputable building firm
of Fred Sleath of Rothley and learnt the skills of the building All we can do is pray for the repose of his soul in the way that our
trade. Things went wrong for Sleath, who went bust; John and Church teaches: ‘Receive his soul and present him to God the
his friend, Chris Stanniforth, then decided to strike out on Most High.’
their own, and the company of Whitelaw and Stanniforth was
launched, with Vickie doing the invoicing. Hugh Murphy (66)

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