Tributes to much-loved food bank stalwart

John Guest with his wife Jean.

Tributes have been paid to John Guest, who volunteered for Hackney Foodbank for over a decade.

The 86-year-old died earlier this year- on the same day as his wife Jean. The couple, who met at St Mary’s Youth Club, were married for 66 years and had two children, four grandchildren and a great-grandchild.

Betty Manning, a lifelong friend of John’s worked with him at the food bank each week.

John Guest and Betty Manning, volunteers at Hackney Foodbank for over a decade.

As a child, Betty lived up the road from John and his twin sister Pam in Stoke Newington and they became great friends – she and her husband attended the same church as John and his wife and the couples travelled all over Europe together.

She said: “Every Thursday afternoon John and I would sit together at the food bank counting teabags, filling sugar and doing other jobs. We felt we were doing our little bit.  We talked a lot and shared a few moans about politics. I miss him.

John Guest was a talented artist.

“John had a very high-powered job working for BT and he was very artistic – he painted and did sculpture. He also did lots of handiwork for St Mary’s Church.”

John’s wife Jean had been unwell for a long time with diabetes and he looked after her. In May this year her family rushed to be at her bedside after she took a turn for the worse. John later collapsed at home and died the following morning – on the same day as his wife.

A joint funeral was held for the couple at St Mary’s Church in Stoke Newington, with pink flowers on Jean’s coffin and blue on John’s.

Pat Fitzsimons, CEO of Hackney Foodbank, said: “John was a much-loved member of our team – he was so caring and kind. He had dedicated around a thousand hours to helping people in crisis and everyone here enjoyed his company. We miss him a lot."