A tribute to Chris Wills: a special man with a special life

It was said a million times – “never have I seen the church so full”. This showed the love and respect for Chris Wills and the esteem in which he was held.

Chris died on May 2 after a long illness. He bore his suffering the way he lived his life – eternally positive and always thinking about others more than himself. In my last conversation with him he was more concerned about others' health than his own.

Born on September 20, 1968, Chris started his education in Newton Abbot at St Joseph’s RC Primary School and went on to study at St Cuthbert Mayne in Torquay. He took his A-levels at the grammar school. He attended university in London and studied law in Leicester and Huddersfield.

Chris was very well known in the legal circles of South Devon, having had a successful career with Tozers, Wollens and latterly Scott Richards.
It was during a sabbatical that he was a massive help to me in starting Torbay Media. Forming a new business is not easy. He submitted all the documentation required at Companies House, Inland Revenue et al and registered all our trademarks, licences and domains.

In 2020 at the outset of the pandemic it was Chris who was able to establish what support we were entitled to both nationally and locally and this was critical to our survival in those first six months.

When the Torbay Weekly launched, he was very active in Newton Abbot encouraging all his family and friends to purchase and read the title. His enthusiasm was infectious. It was poignant to see in last week’s issue four advertisements from local solicitors relating to Section 27 of the Trustee Act as it was his doggedness in pursuing those solicitors to use our columns that established the public notices section.

As the company settled down and expanded into Clear Sky Publishing Ltd. it was Chris who was the main driver on our acquisition of The Moorlander and Eric Partridge, who sold the title to us, was always adamant that he only sold because Chris was such a perfect gentleman in negotiations.

Chris was a devoted Catholic, being at Mass right up to the week of his passing and a dedicated family man. In a brave and wonderful eulogy at St Joseph’s RC Church, his daughter Martha, who will follow him in studying in London, defined his three main interests outside that as being on the water, West Ham United Football Club and a beer.

His love for the water was endorsed by the fantastic turnout from his friends and colleagues at the Shaldon Leisure Rowers, who were instrumental in reorganising the seating in the church to cope with the massive turnout.

His love for West Ham was shown by Martha herself and lifelong friends and fellow Devon Hammers, Chris Hart and Rick Cumming, adorned with scarves at the funeral service and the wake. The two Chrises and Rick were regular attendees at the old Upton Park and more latterly the Olympic Stadium.

With the beer, it was fitting that close friend Simon Colman was leading a few devotees after the wake for a couple of pints in those regular haunts from which Chris will be sadly missed.

It was very appropriate that his wake was at the racecourse. Chris enjoyed nothing better than a day at Newton Abbot races, often followed by a curry at the Eastern Eye.

On those days like on every other day, Chris added something special, to the lives of those he encountered.

At the racecourse his brother Nick spoke about how he and mother Catherine were very proud of Chris’s life.

They should be, it was a very special one.