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Chris, Ive known you for over 35 years when you and your beloved Mary took me under your wing and let me stay with you at Queens Park whilst I was doing my FB training. You have always been such an easy person to be around, never grumpy , always willing to help , You had a wicked dry sense of humour and always made everyone feel so included, especially me as I experienced your hospitality back then and again over the years.. more recently in 2023 and 2024, when I came and lived with you both for months at a time.

You and Mary Therese have always looked out for me and made me feel so welcome and so loved and included …despite the fact that in both 2023 and 2024  I brought Covid into your home.Your concern was never for your own wellbeing….but just concern with my welfare.  I felt privileged  watching the love between you and your beloved Mary and Rachel.  It was such a strong bond between you all and I am  so pleased that you and Mary found each other all those years ago - you were true soulmates and you never lost that intense love for each other.

Chris and I had quite a few things in common such as the same political views (although he was so much more informed than I ever will be) and a love of the good things in life such as red wine and chocolates.  Chris was also very happy to eat vegetarian food with me each night.  Afterwards we often indulged ourselves with a glass of red  wine or a chocolate or two.  Neither of us needed much encouragement but it made us feel better to pretend it was a difficult choice.  Mary Therese would just smile at us knowing it was a foregone conclusion.   It was the little things like this that I missed whenever I returned home to Australia and now I will miss them forever.

Chris - I was in awe of you for all the physical activities you undertook - there were not many days when you weren’t off doing some form of exercise, even on the super hot days.  I was so impressed as I would struggle to even leave the house those days. 

Bless you Chris - you never judged me on my bad navigation skills, even though you were very skilled in planning the routes the good old fashioned way - using physical maps. One day I offered to drive us to a pub in the New Forest. Chris was all set with his navigation maps to help me but I told him to relax and I would use the car navigation.  So relax he did - even when he thought to himself  “this is not right". Instead  we ended up in a Marks and Spencer  car park in Goldaming!!! Completely in the wrong direction as I had forgotten to set the navigation and it went to the previous location!! Not a word of recrimination from Chris! We were very hungry by the time we finally arrived in the New Forest but it gave us something to laugh about later.

Chris I hope you can rest in peace knowing that your legacy lives on in Rachel and that you have two beautiful strong women who will always cherish every single moment  they got to share with you. They have so many beautiful memories to reflect on. You were such a kind, caring , warm and hospitable man and  I too will cherish  all the times I got to spend with you as well as with MaryTherese and Rachel.  RIP

We at Oldham Athletic, all the Management Team and 1st Team send our condolences to all of Chris’ family and friends at this very sad time.

I met Chris in 1986, he's one of those people who you meet in life that you instantly like, great to talk with, a broad smile and a wicked sense of humour. We had a few beers; we got on well.

When he and Mary-Therese came to NZ to get married, I felt honoured that he asked me to be his best man.

Meeting up from time to time over the years, while he and Mary-Therese and Rachel lived here in NZ, and when they came back out here to visit family, Chris was always the same, smiling, have a laugh, great conversation.

A highlight of our time together was Chris taking me to Paris after a few beers and a curry in the West End.

I was in London staying with him in Pimlico while Mary-Therese and Rachel were in NZ.

We grabbed our passports and jumped on the Eurostar.

I remember Chris phoning Mary-Therese from Gar du Nord, guess where we are?

It was all his idea, and a highlight of my trip, I still enjoy telling people of my crazy mate from London.

I was really looking forward to meeting up with Chris again this year in NZ, thoughts ran through my mind; what craziness we could get up to? - at least smiles and humour and good conversation, and a few beers.

Sadly, not to be.

I'll never forget you Chris, RIP

Lloyd

Chris seems to have been part of our South London friendship group forever, he’ll be sorely missed in the Grapes and elsewhere. He was always the one you’d want to get into conversation with, as he was well-informed on most things and had a sensible argued view. He was also funny, honest, loyal and with a cheeky charm to go with his Oldham twang. Some of the photos here, and texts from only a few weeks ago make his loss very hard to take. We have all been lucky to know him.

Tony

I have known Chris for nearly 50 years. We've grown old together and shared most of the big moments in our adult lives.

It has been a privilege knowing him and I will miss him forever.

Bob Blunt