Mike Stoker 1946 - 2024

In early September 1957 the alphabet ordained that I should sit next to Mike on our first day at Glyn. That encounter in Mr Desbruslais’ class 1C started a friendship that lasted, or rather grew, until Mike’s untimely passing in March. Prior to his funeral I perhaps had not fully appreciated what a positive impact he had had on the lives of many.

His schooldays and achievements have been well documented in Ebba’s Scrip and he enjoyed the welcome reputation of being popular, both with his colleagues and the staff, academically successful and an all round sportsman. Now that’s Glyn through and through.

He had other interests one of which was music. We were both members of an ad hoc after school club developing our skills at solo whist. Mike thought we needed some musical accompaniment and turned up one evening carrying Johnny Cash’s album “Ring of Fire”. That was a new name for the rest of us but Mike was ahead of the game and rapidly the country music legend gained four new fans.

A stalwart of St Benet Mike was an all important member of both the school and house football and cricket teams but his greatest success came on the tennis court where he captained the school team. He was, however, not the world’s best woodworker and on one occasion he was led (by myself I have to admit) into helping collect the form’s metal rulers and secreting them in the cupboard of our workbench. Woodworking duly came to a halt and after the hoard was located Jim Bennion whacked us with all of them.

Academically French was one of his strongest subjects and that had a bearing on his life after Glyn School. Languages proved his forte at Aberystwyth University and set him on the path as a teacher of both French and German. He was adept and popular in this role and exemplified his knowledge by moving to the Exam Board (and taking up golf) rather than retiring early.

Mike had married Gill Thomas, they had met as 17 year olds, and had two sons, Simon and Robert. Their pairing was a true image of “living happily ever after”. They later settled in Farnham and Mike joined nearby Wrecclesham & Tilford CC. There he was most pleased in having a coaching role in the development of a talented 13 year old. That boy we all later knew as Surrey and England player Graham Thorpe.

He was happy to take his family travelling, particularly to France and Italy, where interests and activity led the way and there was little likelihood of him troubling a sun lounger. Outdoors he led life to the full and at home it was pretty much the same.

He always tried to stay abreast of current affairs and read avidly throughout his life increasing his awareness and understanding of the world around him. Thus it was particularly cruel that the onset of PSP (progressive supranuclear palsy) should curtail this activity before deteriorating sight prevented him from reading at all.

I hope this doesn’t sound trite but with Mike’s passing the world has lost one of the good guys.

Geoff Thornton (1957-1964)