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IN MEMORIAM
John CASSELLS 27 September 1934 to 13 March 2016 AAS Arborfield Intake 49B
The
following information was published in the Henley Standard on April 4th 2016. [With
grateful thanks to September 49ers Max WARWICK and Peter HENRY for providing
this copy.] JOHN
did not have an easy start to life. Born just before the Second World War
into a military family, he lost his father, George Wilfred, a professional
soldier, in the Monte Cassino offensive in Italy. As a
direct result of this loss, at the age of nine, he and his twin brother
George were sent as boarders to the Duke of York’s Royal Military Academy for
an army education, leaving their mother and sister at home in Stonor. Both
twins were very able sportsmen and also performed well academically. They
were popular among their peers and made many friends, some of whom John would
see at regular reunions throughout his adult life. From
the academy both twins graduated into the regular army where they joined the
Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, stationed initially as trainees at
Arborfield. John
enjoyed his time in the REME, making more good friends and visiting many
parts of the world that at that time he would have been unable to visit
independently. He
earned promotion and a promising army career lay ahead of him until, sadly,
fate once again intervened. In
1956, at the age of 21, his twin brother George was killed in a shooting
incident in Cyprus. No
longer having any appetite for army life, John was compassionately discharged
and returned to live in Henley. Using
the skills he had learned in the REME, John pursued a career in toolmaking
and engineering with various local companies during which time he worked on
the development of Concorde, among many other projects. Always
wise with his money, he purchased his bungalow in Greys Road when it was
constructed in 1958 and lived there continuously until shortly before his
death. He did not own a car until he was in his thirties and would cycle to
work in Maidenhead, White Waltham and other venues, taking White Hill in his
stride — a sight some people still comment on! John
was a gifted sportsman throughout his life. He enjoyed a variety of sports
but his main love was rugby union. He
played more than 100 games for the first team at Henley Rugby Club from 1956
until he was in his forties. Initially, he was a flanker but then moved to
prop. His
enthusiasm for rugby encouraged his sons, George and Christopher, and
grandsons Peter, Ollie and Michael to follow in his footsteps at the club. He
was a keen runner throughout his life and earned many medals from runs all
over the country, including the London Marathon, which he ran in support of
the Alzheimer’s Society. He
played an active role in various walking groups, including the Long Distance
Walkers Association where again he made many new friends. On
one notable occasion he combined his interests by walking to Chester to meet
up with a Henley Rugby Club touring party on the afternoon of a match, changing
directly into his kit, playing for the whole game and then walking on to
Newcastle to visit relatives. After
many years in engineering, John became a postman in the Henley office. These
final years of his working life were perhaps his happiest. He enjoyed meeting
people and making new friends, particularly on the Stoke Row round, where he
was adopted as a member of the community and invited to many local events. The
post was always punctual but if you ever met up with John he was always ready
for a chat and showed great interest in his friends’ lives and families. He
was also more than happy to relate his recent life history to all who would
lend an ear. Sadly,
John lost his mother, Joan Amy Noel, to Alzheimer’s disease, the inspiration
for his London Marathon run, and more recently his sister Shirley and
brother-in-law Maurice (Uncle Mac), all of which hurt him badly. Shirley and
Mac in particular had been of great support to him as his own Alzheimer’s
disease worsened. John
had suffered from worsening Alzheimer’s disease for several years but, with
the help of medication and the support of his family, had continued to live
at home. He would still take his regular daily walks and, hating an untidy
Henley, appointed himself as an unofficial litter collector on his travels. As
his memory failed, his chats would become more repetitive but he still loved
to talk to anyone who had the time. He was happy to relate his date of birth
and home address and to demonstrate that he could still touch his toes. He
coped with some memory failure by calling all the girls and ladies he chatted
to “Cinderella”, something which many of them remember fondly. John
loved family occasions and get-togethers — they could not happen often enough
for him. He
would always enquire after family and grandchildren in particular and enjoyed
any visits to him. He played a full part in our last family Christmas
gathering, organising all, and winning many of, the games played and spending
time with his sons, daughters-in-law and grandchildren. Although
he had been looking forward to moving in with family, John’s condition
worsened as 2016 began. His
illness started to affect his good spirits and he seemed to realise that his
condition would not be cured. His pride would not allow him to become any
more dependent on others and he gradually faded away before his family’s
eyes. John
will be sadly missed by many, many people in the area and beyond and
particularly by his sons, George, Christopher, Ian and Robert, his surviving
sister Patricia and all of their families. •
The funeral took place at Reading Crematorium on Wednesday last week and was
followed by a wake at the Catherine Wheel in Hart Street, Henley. The family
requested that any donations be made to the Alzheimer’s Society, c/o Tomalin
& Son, funeral directors, 38 Reading Road, Henley-on-Thames, Oxon, RG9
1AG.
The full report remains
the Copyright © of the Henley Standard. It can be read by clicking
in the wreath above.
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