Framlinghamian 2023-2024 Single page - web 144dpi - Flipbook - Page 287
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together with his wife Sally, loving and
Michael spent his 92nd birthday in
enjoying life to the full. A composite
Norfolk. He always loved returning to the
bon viveur, Jon’s amazing resilience,
part of the world that held so many happy
appetite for fun and good company will
memories.
be enormously missed by his family and
His great love as a schoolboy was sport
many friends.
and he excelled at football, cricket and
MICHAEL JOHN ROWLAND EVANS
especially tennis, getting so far as to
(S45-48) passed away peacefully at
play at Junior Wimbledon. Racing was
home in Palma, Majorca on 12 November
another of Michael’s lifelong passions. As
2023 at the age of 92. His close friends
a schoolboy, he made extra amounts of
were with him, and he had just returned
pocket money studying form - going so
from a trip to London for his daughter,
far as to run an (almost certainly illicit!)
Kate’s birthday and was planning a return
betting syndicate at school. He was
visit for Christmas. His son-in-law, Tim
entrepreneurial from a young age.
Adler, kindly sent us a copy of a eulogy
which we have judiciously edited.
His love of sport continued as he secured
Michael was born in Hampstead,
his 昀椀rst job working at Lillywhites, the
north London and spent many happy
premier sporting goods department store
childhood years in Mundesley, Norfolk.
in London. Customers included Bob Hope,
During the war, he was brought up by his
with whom Michael became friends,
grandparents and went to Framlingham
and he was given free tickets for Bob
College. He maintained strong links with
Hope’s shows at the London Palladium.
his old school and was immensely proud
This ignited another of Michael’s abiding
of his time there, telling stories of his
interests - theatre. It was during this
schooldays with great fondness.
time that he met his 昀椀rst wife, Angela.
She worked as a theatre and television
costume designer, strengthening that
theatrical connection. Then along came
their beloved daughter, Kate.
Michael kept on with his sport and was so
昀椀t that he trained with the English Olympic
Squad, if only as a pacemaker for the shot
putters as they hu昀昀ed and pu昀昀ed around
the running track.
Eventually, Michael went into business for
himself and established Britain’s premier
ski shop and ski equipment distributor. This
luckily coincided with the growing national
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