Deaths

SAMUEL CHARLES THOMASSON (W74) 27th July 1956 – 9th February 2017 was born in July 1956 to Kit (C49, died 2011) and Bryony Thomasson.  At the time the family lived in London but later moved to Dallinghoo in Suffolk.  After Kit retired from the city to become a farmer, they moved to Nottinghamshire and then to Somerton Castle, in Lincolnshire.

Sam’s schooling started at Moreton Hall in Bury St Edmunds and then he moved on to St Wilfrid’s House at Ampleforth.  It is safe to say that academic prowess was not his strong point but Ampleforth provided many other opportunities for Sam to flourish in other areas.  He was reputed to have had the distinction of being school shot put champion and also played on the second row on the rugby field.

He had frequent brushes with authority whilst pushing the boundaries.  On one occasion when a spell at home from school loomed, his father refused to have him back, declaring that this would simply be treated as an opportunity for a holiday and some not so well earned rest.

One escapade involved telling his parents that a friend from Ampleforth had invited him on a skiing holiday.  The friend reported the same tale to his parents and so off they went on a winter break, undeterred and unhindered by having adults authority in tow.  No harm resulted, but this would not be recommended today!

After A Levels, Sam went to work for Mitsui, the Japanese trading company, with a four year spell in Australia.  He had a varied career and his final years were spent running a successful business importing marble and granite for building refurbishments.

His interests included fishing and shooting, and he was frequently found at the coverside with a succession of gundogs of varying degrees of obedience.  Success in fishing was varied, with a monthly visit to the Wye in recent years yielding happy days but not necessarily many salmon falling to his rod.

He was also very much into vintage and classic cars.  This included racing an Alpine Renault in the Historic Racing Car series, with varying degrees of success.  He was known to race his father’s 1929 Alfa Romeo 6c 1750 at local circuits such as Cadwell Park.  A long period rebuilding the other family vintage car, a 1931 Alfa Romeo 8c 2300 gave considerable personal satisfaction.  He later took this to VSCC events in the UK and the Le Mans Classic.   He also ran it in the classic Mille Miglia with Colin Poole.  The event was taken in relatively leisurely fashion.  They completed the race successfully, without the benefit of a backup crew and taking only what would fit in the car. 

Sam married Virginia in 1987 and they had three children; Jack, Laurie and Cicely.  He died in February 2017 and will be sorely missed by an extended family and a wide range of friends, mainly for his strength of character, a sense of humour which was often coloured with a sense of mischief and the old school characteristics of a gentleman.

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Rest in eternal peace.