The ARC West team has been devastated by the sudden death of our much-loved colleague Jon Banks.
Jon died on the evening of Wednesday 11 June while he was doing what he loved best – riding his bike. He was on holiday in Dartmoor with his wife, Barbara. He died of natural causes.
Jon had a career of 2 halves. He started out as an engineer straight from school, then became a mature student in his 30s. He gained a first-class sociology degree from the University of the West of England in the 1990s. He then completed a PhD in medical sociology from Cardiff University in 2000.
Jon had been with ARC West as Senior Research Fellow in qualitative and ethnographic methods since 2014, co-leading the Behavioural and Qualitative Team. He shared his time between the ARC and the Centre for Academic Primary Care at the University of Bristol.
Many colleagues have known Jon for decades. He was immensely respected by everyone professionally but also had a knack of finding common ground with people. When the ARC team gathered to share our memories of Jon, one thing stood out: his way of handling everything with warmth, kindness and grace. We decided that whenever we’re faced with a tricky situation at work, we’ll try to ‘be like Jon’. He became a friend to many of us. His loss will leave a huge gap in the team.
Outside work, Jon was a passionate long-distance cyclist, covering vast distances unthinkable to most cyclists. He was also an active part of the Audax community.
Another passion of Jon’s was music. He was a regular gig goer and had a carefully curated, wide ranging and vast music collection. We have created a Spotify playlist with some of the songs we associate with him.
ARC West Director Professor Sabi Redwood and Deputy-Head of Bristol Medical School Professor John Ives paid tribute to Jon in their message to the Medical School:
“Jon was a much-loved and respected colleague in ARC West and in the Centre for Academic Primary Care, and worked with many people beyond. He was a highly skilled collaborative researcher who wore his knowledge and expertise lightly.
“Everything he did, he did with kindness, generosity and warmth. He had a special gift for bringing people together and for supporting and mentoring others. Jon will be remembered with great respect and affection, and we will miss his calm and compassionate presence.”
Jon leaves behind Barbara, 2 children and 3 grandchildren. Our thoughts are with them at this very difficult time.