Eulogy written by John's Niece Felicity.

When Uncle John is described by others, the same phrases come up: a real character, unique, genuine, and with a warm sense of humour. Very little would faze him and he took everything in his stride.

Uncle John was born in Bristol in 1937, the eldest child of Leslie and Dorothy Palmer. He had a happy childhood, along with his younger sister Mollie (my Mum) who was born 3 years later. Whilst he was not keen on team sports, he did enjoy cycling and made full use of the surrounding Mendip Hills. He was intelligent, winning a place at Bristol Grammar School, then going on to study at the University of Bangor in North Wales. This then was followed by further study and research at Cambridge University, with a short stint in the tobacco industry.

Uncle John’s working life was almost entirely spent in Sokoto, Nigeria, where he met and married Talatu, becoming fluent in her language of Hausa. Here he also met his good friend Amina. He worked as an agronomist, which is a plant and soil scientist specialising in helping farmers to grow better crops. His free time was often spent riding his horses. During this time, he and Talatu would often return to England to see his parents, sister Mollie and brother-in-law John, along with their four children Simon, Julian, Susie and myself. Summers were spent at his holiday chalet on the beach in Berrow or visiting us in Milton Keynes – I particularly remember canoeing with him on the canal behind our house during the hot summer of 1976.

On retirement, Uncle John and Talatu returned to Somerset to live in Burnham-on-Sea, with Talatu later moving to Weston-Super-Mare. Uncle John loved walking on the beach, always warning us of the dangers of the quicksand there. He moved to South Wales for a short time, before returning to the area he loved most, settling in Brean. There he took up learning Mexican Spanish, driving to lessons in Taunton and playing his favourite song, La Paloma, on repeat. One Christmas, we arranged for him to travel to Madrid to see the eclipse where he could put his language skills into action.

That Christmas in 2004 was particularly special. All the family, including Uncle John, came to Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates, where my husband Tim and I were working. Back in England, he would come and join in Boxing Day games until his health dictated otherwise. My own special memory is when Uncle John came to my children’s school for Grandparents Day – as no grandparents could be there to represent the family. He made a special effort to dig out and dry-clean his suit and had a wonderful day at their school, for which I was most thankful.

We are grateful for the neighbours who helped him in recent years – Ann Hunt over the road, Paula from next door who moved away but continued to return to support him and Steve for the garden maintenance and odd-jobs. All this enabled Uncle John to live his life exactly as he wanted to, surrounded by his books and diaries. In later years, he always expressed his joy and satisfaction with living in his bungalow in Brean, with its large, private garden including a wild area for sunbathing.

Memories of our Uncle John will live on. He leaves a lasting impact on people well beyond the immediate family, with tales fondly told of his curious character and quirks and comedic interactions.