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Ian Willis

Ian aged 68 years passed away unexpectedly on Monday 5th October 2020. He will be sadly missed by all his family and friends.


messages of condolence

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  1. Ian a great long term friend from our days as Apprentices at the SEB. As a group we had many laughs and have remained friends for over 50 years. Ian was a great inspiration in his enormous efforts in raising funds for Wimborne Hospital. Will be missed by all.

    R.J. (Richard)
  2. Ian was one in a million. He always made us smile. We have great memories from our friendship over the passed 50 years. He was such a gentle and generous man.

    Terry and Jenny Carter
  3. We have lost a good friend and one of life’s grand eccentrics. Ian will be long remembered for his unstinting work for the good of Wimborne and many of its Societies. His house and garden were quite remarkable and great fun, and visited by hundreds of admiring people every year. He was a man born and bred in Wimborne and proud of the fact. He will be very much missed.

    Michael Bloxham
  4. Dear Ian,
    I knew you from the time of Youth aid & Action group over 50 years ago & we kept in touch you were such a lovely kind generous person. I will miss you & also your”Secret Garden” letters.
    With Love Hannah.

    Hannah Lawrence (Shilling)
  5. Ian, my kind friend who was so thoughtful and generous with his time. Always finding the right humour for the right occasion. I’ll miss him.

    Ailsa Alexander
  6. Ian will be much missed, he was warm, friendly and absolutely unique. We shared an interest in tiger skin rugs, he was an expert in so many fields.

    Phil Riley
  7. Ian was a wonderfully warm and convivial fellow, we knew him via the Stafford rescue and his association with Barbara Dennet. When we had a devastating house fire a couple of years ago he contacted us out of the blue and offered to let one of his houses to us, but alas it wasn’t to be as time was an issue.
    Our family will be forever grateful to him for his generosity, humour and kind heartedness.
    Rest in Peace Ian xx

    Stephen & Melanie Ogden
  8. Ian must have been a great gardener if Alan Titchmarsh put The Secret Garden at Serles House in his Top Ten Private Gardens, but it was the follies he built that really stand out. The quaint little houses with their amusing artefacts and inscriptions, notably the shell house with the merman blowing his horn are finely artistic and brilliantly composed. Wimborne will never have anyone like Ian again!

    Jonathan Holt of the Folly Fellowship
  9. I was very saddened to hear of Ian’s sudden passing .Our paths crossed a number of times and he would always greet you with a happy smile and his broad Wimborne accent chatting away.

    I heard of Serles House and its wonderful garden but sadly have never been.

    Ian will be a great loss to Wimborne and all his friends and he was taken far too soon. RIP Ian

    Rev Rob H
  10. I was very saddened to hear of Ian’s sudden passing .Our paths crossed a number of times and he would always greet you with a happy smile and his broad Wimborne accent chatting away.
    I heard of Serles House and its wonderful garden but sadly have never been.
    Ian will be a great loss to Wimborne and all his friends and he was taken far too soon. RIP Ian

    Rob H
  11. You made me smile endlessly and in the short time I knew you made me feel so welcome and told me an abundance of great stories and tales! Thank you for giving me the opportunity to work with you, and I am just so sad it ended so sharply. RIP sir – enjoy a wonderful afternoon tea and slice of cake in your new garden in the sky

    Rebecca Peters
  12. I first met Ian over 50 years ago when he did his SEB apprenticeship with my late husband Charlie. He was such a clever man who was kind and generous with a great sense of humour. I loved his house and garden which he opened to the public to raise money for charity. There was so much to see, so much fun and he was so artistic too.
    He was a legend and will be greatly missed.

    Mrs Gerry Smith
  13. Thank you Ian for your friendship and huge contribution to the Wimborne community over the years, I was so grateful for your generosity in hosting my father’s centenary exhibition. You will be sorely missed and you leave a memorable legacy.

    Judi and Martin Noscoe
  14. With great sadness we received the news of Ian’s passing, he was a great character & will be missed enormously on Fortfield Terrace Sidmouth,
    Steve & Tricia

    Patricia midwinter
  15. Ian was a wonderfully warm and convivial fellow, and, as they say, ‘a character’.
    We became very aware of Ian -spanning 3 or 4 decades- through his unstinting devotion to Stan and Margaret Walker.
    Ian was a very special man: we will miss you.
    Rest in Peace Ian x

    David & Carol [Stoddart]
  16. Thank you Ian for your friendship over decades and how seriously you took your duties as Godfather. It was always a pleasure to see Ian and our family feel a massive sense of personal loss. The knowledge of Wimborne and huge contribution to the Wimborne community can never be replaced; the world is a much poorer place without you.

    Jeremy Stout and all the Stout family from Wimborne.

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This funeral is private at the family's request. However you are able to send a message of condolence or leave a donation if applicable.