Whether you have known Simon a very long time or just a short time I think you would all come to the same conclusion and that is he was a very special person who touched the hearts of everyone he met.
His enthusiasm for everything he did in life was infectious . Everything he did, he did with a passion and his drive and determination was something I could only envy. I can’t believe I am never going to see him in his trademark pin stripe suit, smiling at me with that silly but perfect grin.
In fact, Simons gnashers were a source of great amusement in the office, especially for me and Guppy, who used to try and feed Simon sugar cubes and apples from the palms of our hands.
What I loved about Simon and working with Simon is that he believed in himself. And he believed that we would succeed at what we did and that we would be the best at what we did. He was always able to pick me up and motivate me if I was feeling low and in return I always made sure I was there for him when he was going through troubled times.
Simon had many passions close to his heart. From Karting and Moto GP to mountain biking, basically anything with wheels, If he wasn’t banging on and boring the pants off you about Valentino Rossi then he was bragging about how many pheasants or snipe he had shot at the weekend, whatever they are.
But his greatest love was his family. He was so very proud of his children, Katy and Zac. He loved them dearly and loved being with them and would always talk about the times he took them cycling through the Cambridgeshire countryside and all the happy times he spent with them and I know he would have done absolutely anything for them.
Simon loved to enjoy himself and he would love nothing more after a hard day in the office than to have 1 or 10 Havanna Club and cokes and a big fat cigar and there are many stories I could recall from drunken nights out.
The trouble is, every time Simon had a few Havana Clubs he would want to go dancing and woe betide anyone who got in his way. Thing is, Simon had no co-ordination and used to dance as if a bee had flown up his trouser leg. I think many of us have seen him pole dancing in Reflex, one night for so long, his hands were covered in blisters the next day. And then, there is the vision of him dancing, totally naked except for a red heart shaped thong, at his 40th birthday party. That image will be etched in my mind forever.
And also, at the TFS black tie Christmas party at the Waldorf. Stripped down to the waist, gyrating madly on the dance floor to the cabaret singer. Trouble with that was, it was only 7.30 in the evening and everyone was staring at him aghast while they tucked in to their Christmas dinner, thinking, who’s this nutter.
One of the funniest stories, is after a big night out, guppy and Simon had booked to stay in a hotel in town. After checking in, they staggered drunkenly out of the lift and into their room to find a suitcase full of women’s clothes. So, as you do, they proceeded to put pairs of knickers on their heads and dress up in bras, strutting around the room, only to be suddenly confronted by the hotel receptionist coming into the room saying she had given them the wrong room key and both of them standing there trying to keep a straight face and act all serious. I could go on......
I know we all have our own fantastic memories of Simon and I know we will all miss him more than words can ever express. He was a generous, positive, warm, caring, enthusiastic and outgoing person who loved his family and friends very much and had a passion for life and I know I will miss him dearly.
In our hearts, I know we have all said our personal farewells to Simon, I still can’t believe he is gone.
So God bless you mate, let’s hope you are up there having a rum and coke and a cigar with God, telling him what Shimano gears he should have on his mountain bike.
On the order of service it reads 1965 - dash - 2008. But It is not the dates at either end that are important - it is the dash in between.
Because it was the life that Simon lived in between those dates that is most important. That dash reflects Simon’s life.
It reflects all that Simon was to each and everyone of us. It reflects the life that he lived and the people that he loved. It reflects everything that Simon accomplished in his life.
Simon seized every moment of his life and so, when you look at his epitaph and you read 10th January 1965 – dash - 3rd January 2008 think only of what he meant to you and how he touched your life - because all of that is there, unspoken, in the dash.