News has reached us that Old Princethorpian Tim Stevens sadly died on the 27 January 2010, aged 50 in Bristol. Tim attended Princethorpe from 1971 to 1978.
Our deepest sympathy and prayers go out to his widow Verdine and all his friends.
We thank Verdine for this insight into Tim and his rich and varied life.
Tim grew up in Leamington Spa, youngest son of Patrick and Frankie Stevens, brother to Michael and Patricia - a sunny, loving, dutiful little boy, with an irrepressible sense of humour. He had many happy childhood memories, particularly of family trips abroad, of caravan stays with his Auntie Eileen and Uncle Wally, and holidays spent on his Auntie Margaret and Uncle Dick's farm, where he got up to all sorts of mischief with his cousins. He is also remembered fondly by parishioners of St Peter Apostle Catholic Church in Leamington, where he served as an altar-boy and reader for many years.
Tim was a diligent scholar, and always ready to give service to his schools and colleges. He was Head Boy at St Bede's Primary, going on to endear himself to his classmates and teachers at Princethorpe College - an Alma Mater he recalled with extraordinary pride and happiness. Having toyed briefly with the notion of being an actor, Tim decided to be sensible and follow his father's footsteps into the surveying profession. Accordingly, he took up a place at Bristol Poly, studying for an Honours Degree in Valuation & Estate Management. Here, too, he was to engage the affection and esteem of his fellow students and tutors, and to forge friendships which lasted throughout his life. He felt enormously privileged to be awarded a Visiting Fellowship in his post-graduate years, and often returned to the Faculty to give lectures, mostly designed to show the students that there is a lot of fun to be had as a surveyor.
After graduating, Tim moved to London, taking up a trainee post at Jones Lang Wootton, where he obtained his letters to become fully fledged Associate of the RICS. Here, he encountered many people who were to be instrumental in the development of his career, including the Auctioneer Chris Drury, who, noting Tim's innate acting ability, encouraged him to enter the Donaldson's Auction Prize competition - the winning of which opened up a whole new world of opportunities.
It was also at JLW that he met Verdine, the girl who was to become his soulmate and companion through life. It was a perfect match, both personally and professionally - he an ambitious and charismatic Chartered Surveyor, she a property researcher who secretly harboured an old-fashioned desire to be a wife rather than a career-woman. They also shared a deep affection for the City of Bristol and, in 1989, they escaped the hurly-burly of London and set up home in Cornwallis Crescent, Clifton.
Here, Tim and Verdine found the community spirit they had been seeking, meeting neighbours who were quickly to become friends and, through them, getting involved in all manner of social activities. Among the first to welcome the "new Yuppies on the block" were Juliet (Jewels) and her delightful girls, Sarah, Charlotte and Olivia, who won Tim's heart from the moment he met them. They will miss him so very much, but can be assured that they are still under his wing: just like when they were in the Hotwells Pantomime, he is there, albeit off-stage.
Over the years, Tim became uncle to five nieces - Rebecca, Nikki, Claire, Katie and Jasmine - and great uncle to Erin. He was so proud of them, watching them grow from tiny infants into beautiful girls and accomplished women. Tim never had children of his own, but he was a godfather many times over, and that gave him a real sense of worth as well as much happiness. All of the children in his life will doubtless recall times when he magically turned their tears to giggles, and this is how he would like to be remembered.
Turning now to his professional life: Tim inspired confidence and affection amongst his colleagues, staff and clients - particularly during his years as auctioneer for Besley Hill, which brought him huge satisfaction, and a modicum of fame. In recent years, he took a less public role, though no less dynamic - starting up and running a Bristol office for Peter Long & Partners. His former business partners, Nigel and Paul, as well as many colleagues and contacts have paid tribute to Tim's special brand of good-humoured professionalism, and Verdine would like you all to know that he held you in equally high regard.
Lastly, but certainly not least, comes Tim's stage career. Stardom beckoned at an early age, when he appeared as Jim Hawkins in 'Treasure Island' at the Loft Theatre in Leamington, quite stealing the show. Thus it was, on his return to Bristol, he took little persuasion to appear in the Hotwells Panto, becoming a stalwart of the production team over many years. There will be a lot of people who will not be able to suppress a smile when they recall him hamming it up as a villain, a hero, a fool, or a dame. Tim was also an active member of two Am Dram groups - firstly Crumbling Walls, and latterly, The Kelvin Players. His activities with both these groups sustained him through some very bad times in his life, and he very much appreciated the support and understanding of his confederates in these fraternities. His last stage appearance was on 24th October, less than three months before he died. He knew then that his health was failing, but none could foresee that it was to be his final bow.
Our dear Tim played out many roles in his time on this earth, giving us each a rich and inspiring performance to remember him by - and, like every good actor, he has left his adoring public wanting more.
