In memory of John Thornby

Its been a surreal experience dealing with the loss of JT, as a friend who only knew him a year, he was always this big friendly giant, who the moment I met him had this warm energy about him, there are many things I can't help regret about not talking to him about, the time I spent with him was invaluable, its been a real comfort hearing so many different people's perspectives and memories about him and its been fascinating how so many of them have been different we all remember this big loveable man in so many different ways. Life is cruel and unfair and to take away a man who a kind, warm, funny, talented, generous, compassionate, hardworking and loving person, just proves how cruel life can be. JT helped me out with my struggles with anxiety and I will be eternally grateful for his help, his time, the reassurance that I had someone I could talk to whenever I needed him, he never judged me, he dropped what he was doing when he could and always dropped a message to check I was okay when he was busy JT was a great Clocktower player as well as a marvel at social deduction who could trick you into believing he was on your side and stab you in the back when you least expected it, he loved the game with a passion, I will never forget the time he wrote a 14 paragraph analysis of a singular character and how much he didnt like the character which he started writing at 10pm and didn't finish writing until nearly 2am, which I affectionately referred to as "like he was writing War and Peace" I will miss you forever JT, thanks for being a wonderful friend, if theres an afterlife with games, you owe me many games of Helldivers and Phasmophobia.

~ Conor

John was a highly valued member of Celmetrix (formerly Hy-Met). As our first full-time employee, he played a pivotal role in establishing several early collaborations and laying the foundation for our battery technology products. His contribution to the progress/partnerships we've built over the last couple of years cannot be overstated. His insight, commitment, and generosity of spirit played a central role in shaping the organisation we are today. We are profoundly grateful for his time with us and his energy, dedication, & belief in what we were building will always remain a part of our story. May his soul rest in peace.

~ Nishal Ramadas

I spent a significant portion of time within the Warwick University Snooker and Billiards Club (WUSBC) playing both with and against John. John was also a stalwart attendee of the WUSBC yearly gatherings which started about 25 years ago, and he had only ever missed one of them (due to heavy snow from my understanding!), and I even played him in a quarter-final match at the most recent WUSBC gathering in March where he promptly beat me 2-1. A fun memory I have of John is I recall him playing against a mutual friend in the WUSBC snooker room one afternoon, when our mutual friend shouted out 'Go on the Thornbinator!' as John was readying himself for a shot. John looked up from the table and with a befuddled looked said to him 'What on Earth did you just call me?!' From that day on for some of the younger WUSBC members he was known as The Thornbinator! He was a great teammate, a great source of knowledge that many relied upon to improve their snooker game, and an all-around good person. You will be missed, John.

~ Conor Walthall

Very sorry to hear of John's passing. He was a great intellect, but often great fun in all our meetings at CTE.

~ Des Hewitt

I was at school with John in the 1990s and I remember his sharp intelligence, his wide range of interests and hobbies, and – even then – his skills as a leader and organiser. He arranged tabletop gaming groups during breaks and after school, and it was largely John’s influence, alongside that of our mutual friend Chris Turner, that led to my own interest in board and card games – a hobby that has given me a great deal of pleasure over the years. In the early days at school, John would very rarely write down homework assignments, preferring instead to ring me (and perhaps others) in the evenings to make sure he hadn’t forgotten any work due the next day. But if that suggests an apparent disorganisation, it rarely seemed to affect his academic performance. John had considerable intellectual gifts: at times he approached an almost casual brilliance, something which makes his later academic successes across several fields unsurprising. We met very infrequently after leaving school, and I can’t claim that we knew each other well as adults. But it is perhaps fitting that the last time I saw John was at the UK Games Expo in Birmingham in May 2025. We had bumped into each other by chance at the same event in 2024, and this time arranged to meet to catch up properly. Reading between the lines, the previous few years had been challenging personally and professionally for John. But he spoke with enthusiasm about new challenges ahead and the various projects underway including his second doctorate. He had to leave promptly to meet a group of other friends for lunch, and, as he walked away, he was ambushed by another acquaintance who wanted to chat and held him in conversation. I glimpsed in that moment his popularity and the breadth of his friendship group. My thoughts are with his family and all his friends.

~ Paul Stock

I have such fond memories of working with John and saddened to hear this news. My love and thoughts go to him and his family. Jo Anna Reed Johnson xxxxx

~ Jo Anna Reed Johnson

I am sorry and saddened to hear of John’s death. He was in Rootes Residences when I was Deputy Warden many years ago. It is tragic to have happened so early in his life and when he was clearly doing well. My thoughts and condolences are with his family and with his friends. Ken Sloan Vice-Chancellor and CEO Harper Adams University

~ Ken Sloan

I'm sad to hear John has died. I was pleased to employ him in Mathematics as a postdoc on a fun Technology Strategy Board project (now called Innovation UKRI) jointly with Mark Williams from WMG about the design of a coordinate measurement robot arm for a company called Metris UK at East Midlands Airport. Our basic conclusion was that the design is not robust to imperfections, which is indeed what Metris UK had observed. It was great to have John on the team with his expertise in experimental physics and numerical computation and understanding of the interesting mathematics. He also served as a Warden for an undergraduate accommodation block and I heard that he was much appreciated in this role. I was happy that he went into Mathematics Education because he had the right combination of appreciation for mathematics and how to use it in the real world. I'm sad we have lost him.

~ Robert MacKay

John was simply one of the smartest people I have ever met. We worked together for a number of years in CTE and, even though, we are very different, we always got along well. As everyone knows, he was a stickler for detail and I always hear his voice saying 'version control, version control' every time I fail to clearly label documents! I feel so privileged to have visited John in his final weeks (having signed up via his so-typically-John spreadsheet. You will be missed, JT.

~ Alison Morgan

I had the privilege of working with John between 2014-2019 at the Centre for Teacher Education and he made a number of significant contributions to the ITE programmes, (he was a module and faculty lead for the Secondary PGCE courses), but also helped introduce and embed a research-focused and evidence-based culture across the department. He was a great lover of detail and, rather comically, tracked down perpetrators of his single version document tracker! John provided critical challenge, was good-humoured, thoughtful and a person who displayed the highest levels of integrity - qualities may of us who knew him valued and aspired to replicate. He will be sorely missed and has really gone too soon. Much love, JT from PTM.

~ Paul Taylor-McCartney