A small tribute
to a dear friend
A small tribute to my dear friend
Tim Jones who passed away in April 2004
I hope it will bring some small
comfort to his friends and family who will miss him, and maybe
in time we can look back with fond memories of better days.
If you have an image or a small
message you would care to add to this page, then email me.
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Tim was fine man, a good
friend, and a fine father to his children. I will miss you Tim,
as will many of your mates in the astronomy world. You helped
me through some pretty rough times, and I am sorry your not here
with us now. I will remember the good times we had with great
fondness, and will miss your companionship, friendship, and the
fun we used to have. I hope you have found peace now, but you
went too early mate. God bless you, and I hope you are playing
happily amongst the stars.
Kevin
..
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Happier days
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I was really sad to hear
of the death of Tim Jones. I met him last year at the Kielder
Forest Star Camp was looking forward to renewing our acquaintance.
Please pass on the sympathies
of everybody at Kielder and in Sunderland Astronomical Society
to his family and friends.
Richard Darn
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Please pass on our
condolences to his relatives when you make contact with them,
from two people who will certainly miss his enthusiasm at the
various astronomy events.
Rob & Jess.
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'I have many pleasant
memories of time spent in his company at star parties over the
years. It is a tragic loss. I will remember him from those good
times. I hope we all can. My deepest sympathy goes out to all
who new such a fine person.'
Paul Clark
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There was only one
way to do things with Tim and that was the best way, he was inspiring
and oozing with enthusiasm and character which made Tim one of
the best friends I have had,but the best memory I have of Tim
was his wicked laugh when he got going. I am going to miss him
so much that I do not have the words.may he rest peacefully in
the place he has gone to.
Mike
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I was really surprised and sorry to hear the news about Tim. I
had a long chat with him at the Deep Sky Section meeting in March.
He had great ideas about an observing site near Cirencester, and
i was looking forward to being able to get together there with
him some time.Tim was an irregular member of the Cotswold AS,
and the attached picture shows Tim at our meeting with John Dobson
showing John his Obsession. I know that Tim was particularly thrilled
about being able to meet John. He will be sadly missed.
Callum Potter
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Tim was an observing
friend, one of the small 'gang' who met regularly throughout the
year for an observing sesh. A keen and competent observer, always
willing to share his Obsession with anyone. Like the rest of us,
he loved his astronomy, equipment, meetings, and the whole aspect
of the UK scene. Always present at Star Parties. Will be greatly
missed.
Next time I glimpse the Horsehead, I will walk away from the eyepiece
so Tim can have a look. Fond memories
Chris Garvey
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I heard about Tim
and was shocked. I enjoyed observing with him
and was looking forward to spending more time with him when I
moved out
that way. If you could pass my condolences on I would be grateful.
Owen Brazell
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When anyone mentions
Tim's name, it brings back many happy memories. The first time
I met Tim was at Thetford, where he was quite happily attaching
his 5" Takahashi to a G11 using bungee cords! His distinctive
chuckle told us of his enthusiasm, and the omission of bringing
his tube rings weren't going to stop his enjoyment of viewing
the heavens. Thanks to Tim, he shown me both the funnier side
of our wonderful hobby and more importantly, the friendship we
all share. No other star party will be quite the same again. Please
pass on my deepest condolences to Tim's family and friends
Peter Hainsworth
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You meet a lot of
people at star camps. Some are interesting and some are not so
interesting. Tim, I'm afraid was very interesting.
I was attempting
to collimate my 16" Revelation, when along came Tim with
a friend.
The next 30 minutes was question time about my scope and its performance
after which grabbed a pint of squash to wet my dry throat. We
agreed to meet later when the stars were out.
About 1AM the same
night, whilst trying to push extreme powers on Stephens Quintet.
I heard the rustling of waterproofs coming towards me. I grabbed
my 20mm Nagler grenade, in case I needed to use it. Fortunately,
at Dower House there are no such concerns, but you cannot be complacent.
I saw a red light and a voice called out, Percy, where are you?
It was Tim. He reminded me of when I first went to Dower House.
I was keen and excited
to be at a star party and could not wait till it got dark. Tim
was far more excited and showed a lot of passion. I tried for
about half an hour to show him IC4617, I was so glad when he identified
it, it was faint.
We looked at many
objects that night. Our friendship has grown since.
There are many discoveries to made in Astronomy. Mine was to meet
Tim, a true friend.
Tim is held very
dear to my heart and my family adored him.
IC 4617 is very special to me. Tim, I hope you are organising
the next star party amongst the stars. Show them how it should
be done up there.
Please pass on my
condolences to Tim's Family and all his friends.
God Bless you Mate,
we will miss you.
Percy, Sharon and
the children.
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Tim was one of the
first people I ran into when I first stumbled into this hobby.
Like most amateur observers, we didn't talk much about family,
careers or the other stuff that is supposed to signify friendship,
but - looking back - some of the most amazing experiences I've
had during the last few years were in his company - whether it
was riding out gale force winds in Norfolk, negotiating terrifying
mountain roads on La Palma, staring at unbelievable sunsets from
the top of Mount Teide, or just simply sharing long nights out
under the stars swapping eyepieces and tall stories about obscure
objects glimpsed.
I hope that qualified
us as friends and that he thought of me as such, because losing
him has left a far bigger hole than I would have believed possible.
He was a gentle, kind man. I'll miss his mad giggle, schoolboy
humour, and infectious enthusiasm.
It's going to be
a long time before many of us get used to carrying on with the
adventures and experiences that this hobby deals out without Tim
there to share them with us.
Martin Hopewell
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We have just seen
the tributes for Tim on your web-site. On behalf of his Family
and indeed ourselves at St. James's Place, where Tim worked, we
would like to thank you all for your kind thoughts and remembrances.
We have been deeply
shocked by this awful tragedy and Tim will be dearly missed by
us all.
Kind Regards
Simon Peters and
Aidan Burnett-Herd
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That laugh! That
smile!
How many people
do you know that you can sum up with those four words??
Well Tim was one
of the very few. I reckon you’d be hard pushed to find many
photos of Tim without a beaming grin. Tim managed to keep his
boyish enthusiasm going at all costs and never failed to re-infect
you if you were flagging or threatening to go to bed and I’ve
got the bags under my eyes to remind me!
A very kind and
gentle chap, it really won’t be the same without you old
boy.
I hope your time
amongst the stars is a wondrous journey but do think of us poor,
cold, tired buggers stuck down here and chuck a few photons our
way if you see us struggling!
Gavin Stacey
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I find it difficult
to believe that Tim is now no longer with us. I last talked with
Tim at Kelling Heath in March. He didn't seem to be put off by
the gales at all ! I first met Tim at Thetford some years ago
and I was always impressed by his enthusiasm. He was always helpful,
kind and such a nice man. Tim will be missed by many of us I am
sure. I offer my condolences to his family and close friends.
David Reynolds - Guildford AS
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Gavin's tribute
was so spot on...this was the last photo I took of Tim. It was
at the disastrous (gale force winds) Spring Sky Camp at Kelling
Heath. As usual Tim still laughed at the whole situation. I was
at Kelling Heath again this weekend and this time I had some good
observing. I found myself frequently thinking about shared observing
moments I'd had with Tim, not only from this location but Thetford
and Tenerife.
We went to Tenerife last May and had a real laugh with Tim driving
around the Teidi observatory complex at over 8,000 feet without
lights! We were going again this May but Tim pulled out when it
all came on top with his private life. I tried to persuade him
to still go but he couldn't so I will be there without him. What's
so sad is that it can't be undone, he's gone.
Andrew Robertson.
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It was the late
50's. I was sitting on the front gate of our council house, the
kid next door was doing likewise; we were staring at the Full
Moon and discussing the significance of the markings. We decided
the grey patches were volcanic clouds. I was six.
Astronomy has been in my blood ever since, sometimes rushing and
pounding in the head, sometimes languishing in my feet, but always
there in my heart. I've been lucky to see a lot, Bennett's Comet,
Shoemaker-Levy, Hale Bopp, major auroral storms, and the extraordinary
Leonid Fireball show to mention a few highlights.
Along the way I've
been lucky that my orbit has coincided with that of other people
on a similar path, one of these was Tim Jones.
Our first appulse
was at Winchester, a few years ago. He was unselfishly sharing
his H-alpha scope with anyone who wanted to look. We struck up
an immediate resonance, and we've come together at irregular intervals
ever since.
We've shared many long telephone calls in which we layed plans
for star parties, and independent equipment reviews, and mutual
observing sessions. Then on Monday this week I looked at Astroads,
and I couldn't believe what I was reading.....
I was enriched by Tim's selfless enthusiasm and expertise. I was
warmed, both by his joy in sharing his love of the sky, and his
apparently ever present smile. In retrospect, how like those Leonid
fireballs it has turned out to be. A glorious bright light, coming
from nothing and bringing illumination and excitement and promise,
and cheering the very soul; then gone in a flash.
Now its just a memory, but whilst I'm still able to continue my
orbit, it will always be there, just below the surface, to be
recalled and savoured and cherished like the precious thing it
was.
God bless you Tim.
Andrew Stephens
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I'm a colleague
of Aidan & Simon - they put their tribute on earlier. I too
had the great pleasure of working with Tim and shall miss him
so much. He always had a beaming smile for me when I got to work
in the morning and nothing was too much trouble for him - he would
help anyone he could and willingly. It was a privilege to have
known Tim, I'm just so very sad that that time has been cut short
- far too short - too tragic. I shall remember him with fondness
and be grateful that I was fortunate enough to have known
him.
Twinkle, twinkle
little star how I wonder where you are .... - each time I
look to the sky I will think of you Tim.
Frances Dalton
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Tim has been my
friend since i can remember. Everywhere i have been Tim has been
with me.
When i heard that
he had passed away i was really shocked, in fact i really didn't
no what to say.
I visited Tim nearly
every Sunday and we had a laugh and he was always smiling.
We were best friends
and my family adored him. Deepest Sympathy to all his family and
friends
God Bless you Tim,
you were a great friend and we will never forget you.
Martyn, Lynne, Ben,
Becky and Hannah Scrivens
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I knew Tim for too
short a time but I am going to miss him a great deal. His enthusiasm
was boundless and his capacity for enjoyment endless. I will always
remember the great times we had together and Star Parties will
never be the same.
So long Bud
See you in the stars
Tim Bance
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Whenever I met Tim
he was always bubbling over with life, humour and enthusiasm.
He was a top class astronomer who loved to behold the light from
distant galaxies directly with his own eyes, and not via a CCD
camera. He had some wonderful instruments and enjoyed his hobby
to the highest level. Now he is now among the stars he loved to
look at, and he can roam the Universe for ever......
Nick J Hudson
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I have just seen
the news of the death of Tim Jones on your tribute page website.
I cannot claim to have known Tim at all well but spoke with him
on several occasions at star parties over the last 4 /5 years.I
was saddened very much to hear of his death and I send my sympathies
to his friends and family.I will miss not seeing his smiling face
which I remember with a sense of warmth.
Thanks Tim for that warmth.
Brian (Buddhist
astronomer).
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How sad it was to
hear of the passing away of Tim Jones this year. I met Tim only
once at Kelling Heath in March and he seemed a really friendly
person who you could get to know really easy. As all the tributes
say, he really was a fine person. You will be missed Tim. My dearest
sympathies to all his family and all that knew him.
Malcolm Blackburn
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Tim was laid to rest
at Chesterton cemetery on Saturday May 1st 2004.
This was following
a very sensitive, and moving service at the Holy Trinity church
in Cirencester.
Many family and friends
were present, and were able to send there last few private words,
and farewells.
The grave was surrounded
with a beautiful arrangement of flowers from many people. Several
with the astronomy aspect of Tims life in mind.
It was a lovely &
fitting testament to a great person who was taken from us much
before his time
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