Heartfelt tributes are paid to ‘one of Barry’s finest’

By MARCUS STEAD - Glamorgan Star reporter

Marcus Stead 21/10/2023

5 minutes read

| John Lewis was ‘a great friend’ to local charities.

TRIBUTES have been paid to music shop owner and community stalwart John Lewis, who died suddenly at the age of 70 while installing sound equipment for the Tŷ Hafan Dark Run on Barry Island last week.

John, 70, was well-known in the community as owner of The Barry Music Shop on Holton Road, and as the head of JPL Sound and Communications, a company specialising in sound systems for public events including music festivals and agricultural shows.

Last Saturday’s Tŷ Hafan Dark Run on Barry Island and a parallel event in Swansea Bay were cancelled as a mark of respect.

A workaholic with a lifelong passion for music and sound systems, John was known for going above and beyond to make the events he was working on a success.

While John was firmly rooted in Barry, his reputation meant he was regularly in demand to work on public events throughout Wales and England.

John was highly-regarded for his personal kindness and for his attention to detail when installing sound systems, though he was also known for his strong opinions and straight-talking.

Shortly before his untimely death, John gave an interview to the Glamorgan Star in which he made outspoken comments about the Barry Island Fireworks Fiesta not taking place this year.

John had been involved with organising the event since its inception in 1973, when it was held in Romilly Park, and he had been the public address announcer in recent years.

In typically-blunt style, John said that the free display had become unaffordable because people were putting very little money into the bucket collections but that if everybody present donated just £1, there would be more than enough to pay for the fireworks with some left over to donate to their charity partners.

Among those paying tribute was retired Anglican priest Fr Chris Seaton, who had known John for the last eight years: “When I heard of the death of my good friend and colleague, John Lewis, it was one of those movie moments when time seemed to stand still to allow the full impact of the situation to manifest itself upon the sensibilities.

“John was always there for everyone, a man with a true community spirit, who would go that extra mile, whether that was within his business life or his charitable works.

“Personally, I first met John in 2015 when I came to the Parish of Cadoxton juxta Barry as the assistant Priest to the then Rector, Fr Ben Andrews. Much of my involvement with John was through my ministry in the Church. His help, without doubt, was exceptional and what often seemed a mountain to be climbed became a mole hill with the expert advice given by him,” he said.

Fr Chris added that John was particularly helpful during the church’s busiest periods at Christmas and Easter: “The success of the Churches of Barry presentation of ‘Christmas – A Story’ was only made possible by the generosity and lighting and sound skills of John.

“In his own time, he would arrive at St Mary’s Church to erect the stage, scenery, lighting and sound system, all supplied by him.

“For six days in December there would be upwards of 17 performances and John would be there for each of them, mixing the lighting and sound that made every performance something special.

“At the end of the week of the performances he would return and dismantle everything for the church to be ready for the Christmas celebrations. All this was done at his own expense and in his own time and all the while he would disappear in between performances to keep his own business going.

“The external, and indeed, internal lighting of the Anglican Churches of Barry that many may have admired during the Easter and Christmas festivals was the produce, once again, of John’s freely given time, generosity and skill.

“John’s community work with local organisations has been exceptional.”

Fr Chris said that John’s sudden passing would be deeply felt by many within the local community: “John will be missed so very much by everyone who knew him, in his business life, by friends and in his many and varied charitable works. I certainly know that the world in this part of the Vale has lost a man who had the community in his heart,” he said.

Fr Chris’s words were echoed by Ministry Warden Rowena Hughes, who said: “John was always very kind and very generous with whatever we were doing in the church.

“I used to run cinema nights when Fr Ben was our minister, and John used to come along and bring the equipment to run it.

“He was such a kind man and we’ve lost one of our finest. I think of how hard he worked with our ‘Christmas – A Story’ productions each year and his efforts played a huge part in its success.

“John said it how it is, he was direct and to-the-point, but he was such a decent man who cared deeply about people and the community. I was amazed when Fr Chris told me he was 70, he was such an active man and I thought he was considerably younger.

“Our condolences go out to his family and friends, and we remember him in our prayers. I do take some comfort from knowing he died doing something he loved, installing sound equipment for a charity event,” she said.

Bobby Kenny, who has a passion for collecting memorabilia about the history of Barry and is an administrator on the Barry and Wales at Heart Facebook group paid tribute to John’s commitment to the community. He said: “I don’t claim to have known John all that well on a personal level, but I’m very aware of the big role he played in making local events a success.

“John wasn’t afraid to tell a few home truths in his posts on the Facebook groups. As a music shop owner, he understood the importance of local people supporting local businesses rather than relying on online outlets.

“Our high streets are in trouble because people aren’t using them, and John would remind people of this fact.

“Also, when you support businesses like The Barry Music Shop, you get a very good level of customer service. John cared about his customers and he would take time to make sure they were happy with their products.”

Jan Irving, sales manager for the Glamorgan Star, had known John for more than 30 years. She said: “John was very hard-working and he had strong opinions, but they were very well-thought opinions, he wasn’t one to waffle on about nonsense – he was very direct and knowledgeable and his heart was always in the right place.

“He did a lot to put together public address systems for big family funerals, including my uncle’s funeral, and I’ll always be grateful to him for the efforts he made for us.

“John was a character – he was an absolute workaholic, but he loved it, he was a genuinely nice person who really cared for Barry. He loved his music shop and he had the same staff working there for many years, he was very loyal to them and they reciprocated that loyalty.

“I really enjoyed his company, I’d go to his shop and we’d have a bit of a laugh, and it was always good to see him out and about at events, and I shall miss him enormously.”

John died while organising a Tŷ Hafan charity event and a spokesperson for the charity said: “Our entire Tŷ Hafan family is so sad at the passing of John. He was a lovely man, a fount of knowledge in his field, and a great friend to our charity. He will be sorely missed. Our thoughts and deepest condolences to his family and friends.

“RIP John and thank you.”

By MARCUS STEAD email:

Barry Music Shop Facebook page is available here.

JPL Sound and Communications website here.

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