Roger Felstead - a tribute to an amazing man At 3.20am on Thursday 13th August 2015 with a clap of thunder and a flash of lightening, Roger stepped from this life onto his next great adventure. Surrounded by his lovely wife Jette, his son Oliver, his daughter Ally and Liz, Oliver's girlfriend - his passing was peaceful and full of love. And then the heavens opened and it poured with rain. When Jette called early on Thursday morning to tell me the news - it was still raining - and although it was not unexpected, I was filled with immense sadness and immense joy in equal measures. Sadness because he left us far too early, but joy for having been so privileged to have shared part of his life and for his unwavering friendship which spanned over more than 30 years. When I spoke to David Priestley, Roger's greatest friend that same morning we did not really have much to say to each other. Words were not really necessary. And anyway there are no words that could really express just how much we both loved him and how much we already missed him. During the course of Thursday, at Roger's request, I reached out to the many work colleagues and friends that Roger had known over the 40 years of his professional career. To a person, the response was the same - great sadness and shock that someone so vital and so energetic could have been taken from us long before he should have been. Love, fun, smiles, sparkle, we had our moments and alcohol, lots of alcohol were all shared themes. Roger was a special friend and together with Jette, David, Kim, Chris Mike, Libby and Mick we shared some amazing times. The best of these was when we were all invited to share his wonderful wedding weekend to see him finally marry the beautiful Jette. In true Roger style, the day was a perfect cocktail of style and fun, with the wedding reception being held in a marquee on the crest of a field overlooking the beautiful Sussex countryside. Even the presence of Chris Mike and his lovely Libby added a certain something to the occasion. Oh yes - and there was lots of alcohol involved as well. A truly magnificent occasion. One other weekend that sticks out in my mind was in early September 2013 - both Mick and I had 'officially retired' and we travelled down to Rock in Cornwall to stay in a lovely seaside house that Roger and Jette had rented - Oliver and Lizzie already were there. David Priestly and Kim, Chris Mike and Libby all descended at pretty much the same time to just have fun, which we did. On the last morning Roger prepared the best full English breakfast on record, which we ate outside on the patio together. A very special memory. He was a great cook. Roger, together with another work colleague and friend Chris Manderson had a massively positive influence on my own life. When I went to work at Arbat Banking Systems way back in 1981 (thanks to the lovely Audrey Atkinson, née Coombs, née Butcher) I entered a world that I had no idea existed. But boy did I love what I saw. Both Roger and Chris helped me to truly understand the business of "real time integrated modular banking systems" and the value of marketing expertise. And in between working times we had loads of fun - and oh yes loads of alcohol. For those in the know, Last Fridays drinks and the Arbat client Christmas parties were legendary back in the day. I took many of the lessons I learnt from them both and from my days and experiences at Arbat and brought them with me when I went on to start my own business. The impact that Roger had on so many people is incredible, and even though many years may have passed since the heady days of Arbat, the friends and relationships he made remained strong and constant. A sign of true friendship is being able to pick up where you left off even though you may not have seen each other in a long time - this was so true in Roger's case. He was always delighted to see you and to share great times together. I know that the likes of David Thompson, Audrey Atkinson, Jeff Harris, Martin Regan, Neil Newman and Vincent O'Kelly, all feel the same and share a deep sadness at his untimely passing. Over the last few years, it is no secret that the severity of his medical condition meant that he was often in a lot of pain and had to contend with much discomfort. We never once heard him complain and he bore this burden stoically, and with humour. It was truly humbling to see. Audrey Atkinson played a massive part during this time and through her introduction to an amazing consultant - Roger found new hope in his darkest hours - and we are all truly grateful to her. I will miss his calls which always started in the same way - hello Clarabell - I am in town and we are having lunch. An offer I could never refuse. And if I were a betting person I would lay money on the fact that he has already bumped into the gorgeous Tony Honey and that they are both propping up a celestial bar, drinking champagne and regaling all the saints and angels with hilarious stories of outrageous behaviors. A fantastic image. There are so many stories and anecdotes that describe the man and that sum up his amazing qualities and zest for life, but there are too many to mention here. But I am so glad that Jette and Roger found each other and were able to spend many happy years together. And that we all, in some way shape or form, were able to have a share of his wonderful life. Cheers Roger. With love Clarabell x