Michael John Gwynne James (Collinson 1954)

26 May 1941- 15 February 2026

Michael James was a proud Middlesex Scholar, entering Collinson House in 1954.

A keen singer, he won the Treble Solo competition and sung solos in the school choir on Sunday mornings for the following year. This got him hooked on singing as he went on to sing all his life in various choirs, most notably the Cheltenham Bach Choir and Stroud Choral Society.

He had planned to become a doctor and had an offer of a place at London Medical School. Unfortunately, the death of his younger brother, Gregory, who was only 5, whilst he was in his final year, affected him a great deal and he did not get the grades required.

By chance though, he came across the job of a Patent Agent through the post public school agency and this caught his imagination. It was the perfect fit and he had a highly successful 40-year career. He moved with the firm from Chancery Lane to Wivenhoe, Essex. Latterly, moving to Stroud where he  got a job as a partner in a firm in Cheltenham.

He bought a disused pub at auction in 1970, with his wife Philippa, who he was married to for 55 years. They converted it into a beautiful family home, with far-reaching views across the Cotswolds. They next created a self-build at the bottom of their garden, which they moved into a decade ago.

In his spare time, he finally achieved a degree in the early 1980s, through the Open University, primarily in Maths but also covering Geology and Electronics. As well as singing, his extensive hobbies also included skiing, tennis, croquet, bridge and reading the Daily Telegraph!

He is survived by Philippa, his children Diana and Rafe and his 3 grandchildren.