Tribute to Ian Coles, 1951

Dedicated to the memory of Ian Coles

This site is a tribute to Ian Coles. Ian was beloved husband to Sylvia and father to Steve, Heather, and Chris. He is much loved and will always be remembered. We hope people will use this memorial to share their memories and photos of Ian.

Ian suffered a short and severe illness at the start of 2021. He urgently required a liver transplant which was completed by the wonderful team at Birmingham Queen Elizabeth Hospital. Unfortunately, there were complications following the surgery as the new liver went into acute rejection. Ian's condition rapidly declined and no further medical intervention was possible. Sylvia, Heather, and Chris were able to be with Ian at the end. They passed on love from Steve who was not able to be there due to Covid restrictions. Ian was peaceful as he passed and did not suffer.

We are devastated at the loss of Ian, and know that many many others will be too.

Arrangements for the funeral are in the Notice below. Due to Covid this must be an invitation only service. However the service will be streamed online so others can still watch - the link is within the Funeral Notice below. We will be sending an email to those invited to the face to face service with further details for arrangements on the day.

We are planning to have a larger life celebration event in Suffolk later this year - maybe late Summer/ Autumn. We look forward to being able to invite a larger number of people to this event and to share happy memories of Ian.

If you would like to make a donation in memory of Ian, please consider supporting one of the charities linked here. These are:

Practical Action - This charity works with communities around the world to develop ingenious solutions for agriculture, water and waste management, climate resilience and clean energy access. Ian and Sylvia have supported this charity for many years and its ethos links to Ian's civil engineering background.

Pedal Power Wrexham - a small cycling charity in North Wales where Ian regularly volunteered, helping to pass on his love and enjoyment of cycling.

Erlas Walled Garden - a beautiful Victorian garden where Ian and Sylvia volunteered their gardening expertise and hard-work for many years

Alzheimer's Society - dementia has afflicted Ian's family, affecting both his mother and his brother Richard, with whom Ian always had a special bond. The Alzheimer's society has been a useful resource in recent years to our family, specifically to Richard's wife Ali who is his carer.

Thank you to everyone for the support you have given our family at this difficult time.

Sylvia, Steve, Heather, and Chris