John Lewis obituary

My father, John Lewis, who has died aged 79 from a heart attack, was an educationist, beer and cider connoisseur, amateur military historian, railway enthusiast and lifelong supporter of the Labour party, for which he stood as a parliamentary candidate in 1997.

Born in Hitchin, Hertfordshire, John Olaf was the son of Louise (nee Jorgensen) and Rhys Lewis, who had been evacuated from London during the blitz. John had an idyllic childhood, growing up at Easthampsted Park, Berkshire, a former stately home that became a teacher training college, where his father was a lecturer.

From Forest grammar school in Reading he went to Aberystwyth University, and in 1963 gained a degree in geography and economics. Then he moved into further education (FE) as a lecturer at Staffordshire College of Commerce, where he taught business and economics. His career in FE took him all over the country, culminating in his appointment in 1988 as principal of Oldham College, from which he took early retirement in 1991.

His retirement was however far from quiet as he threw himself into his many interests with gusto. He had always been an active member of the Labour party, and in the 1997 general election he stood as candidate for South Holland and the Deepings in Lincolnshire. In spite of the huge Labour landslide, this new constituency turned out to be one of the safest Tory seats in the country – but he was nonetheless proud to have played his part. He remained deeply loyal to Labour, despite misgivings about “New Labour” – a term he pointedly refused to use – and he continued to stand regularly for council seats, most recently at his new home in Rea Valley, Shropshire, in 2021.

Aside from politics, he was an enthusiastic member of Camra, the real ale campaign, and in retirement he became an expert in cider, serving for many years as the manager of the cider bar at the Great British Beer Festival. To many in Camra he was known only as “Cider John”, as he developed an encyclopedic knowledge of cider to add to his expertise in real ale.

Military history and railways were his other passions, and he pursued both with equal vigour. He visited almost all of the key battle grounds of the world wars and he travelled on many of the most spectacular railway journeys of the world. At home, meanwhile, he was an active member of the Shropshire Railway Society and Railfuture (formerly the Railway Development Society).

John was married three times, divorced once and widowed twice. He is survived by his three children, Mark, Rebecca and me, from his first marriage to Joan (nee Davies), which ended in divorce, and by five grandchildren.