20/10/2020
It is with great sadness that we announce that Brian Hawthorne , our beloved father, and husband to Joan for 63 years , passed away peacefully at the weekend after a short illness at the age of 88.
He founded the Devon school of English together with our mother, Joan in 1972 , and worked passionately and tirelessly to take it from its humble beginnings ( a summer school working from a few rooms in their house) to a thriving all year round business that, in the subsequent decades, acquired an international reputation for academic excellence. He spoke French, German and Russian fluently and could communicate well in a handful of other languages when the need arose- he was a staunch Internationalist and would have been truly heartened by the positive messages that came in from all over the world when we announced regrettably, earlier this month, that the school was to close after 48 years of trading. He would have been very proud to think not only of the pleasure his school had brought to countless people but also of the helping hand he had given to their careers.
With that in mind , as a family we would also like to take this opportunity to thank (on his behalf and ours) the many, many people who played such a vital part in the school’s success – all our staff, students, agents and host families to whom we are exceptionally grateful and, once again, many thanks for the heartfelt messages on our page –they helped to lift our spirits during such a gloomy time.
