John Hobday, an alumnus of Church College from 1967 to 1973,reading natural sciences and then pursuing a PHD in metallurgy, died of MND at the age of 77. He pursued life with astonishing vitality and vigour, curiosity and commitment, love and joy. He successfully embraced a career in the Civil Service and then one as a mountain walks leader. He combined a scientific approach to decision making with a passion for learning, the arts and the outdoors. Described as ‘interesting and interested’, John had an ability to connect with people of all ages from children to seniors, making many deep friendships and gaining respect throughout life. He was a good listener, a natural mentor and a generous expert, freely sharing with others his knowledge and expertise gained across his many walks of life. He made the best of life to the end.

John was born and brought up in Acocks Green, Birmingham. He showed a bright mind at an early age. When helping out in his father’s green grocers’ shop, he would quickly total up in his head what was owed for a lengthy list of items. Later, he won a scholarship to King Edwards Independent Day School. Every year there he won prizes for academic achievements and sporting successes, including sprinting and rugby.

Arriving at Churchill College Cambridge in 1967 to read natural sciences, John appeared much as he remained through life: quietly spoken, polite and neatly dressed, calm and chatty with a sense of humour. In his year’s intake, he was one of only two with a beard, retaining his for several decades – a sign perhaps that he was his own man. Following his degree, John spent another three years as a PHD research student in metallurgy, laying the foundations for the evidence-based approach he pursued in work life and beyond. He also took up rowing for the college, following a punishing training schedule. This paid off in the 5th May bumps of 1973 when the Churchill boat, with John in pivotal bow position, achieved a remarkable performance bumping five times, rising to the top of one division and immediately bumping the bottom of the next. He became the proud owner of a ceremonial oar for winning blades.

In the vacations, John embarked on adventurous road trips behind the iron curtain with fellow students. Back in Kapitza House, then providing Churchill post graduates with accommodation, friends fondly remember long nights playing bridge, tasting Russian vodka and being introduced to John’s first experimentation with making wine. John joined the Civil Service fast stream, starting in the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) in early 1974. He held a number of posts there over the next three decades, reaching the Senior Civil Service on the way. He approached each new post with enthusiasm and thoroughness in investigating the background. Several posts were about encouraging private sector development of IT, and even early AI, with support from funds such as the UK Government’s Alvey programme, the EU’s Esprit and Eureka supported by intergovernmental contributions. John’s evidence-based approach and understanding of where businesses were coming from, aided by a secondment to BP and Scicon, its computer services subsidiary, helped him to navigate the murky waters of risk taking and reward to the private sector when allocating public funds.

John was also a sensitive and effective manager of the staff he worked with in the civil service and when leading the privatisation of the Government’s Accounts Services Agency, then with 200 staff. A lucky break gave John the opportunity to leave the civil service in his mid 50s and enjoy what he subsequently described as the best twenty years of his life. John started his second career, though unpaid, as a walk leader for HF Holidays in 2007. Early on he gained a Mountain Leader Award and became adept at managing groups and dealing with emergencies promptly and sensitively. By 2025 he had completed 129 appointments, most abroad across 29 resorts, and guided many thousands of holiday makers. He was known by HF HQ as ‘a leader who will be a safe pair of hands and do a superb job’ John was an early adopter of digital navigation aids and the latest first aid equipment. He also believed in having effective clothing, both new and more traditional, including the Tilly Hat he wore on most walks. He was rarely without his camera however hard a walk and produced eye-catching images of landscapes and nature.

John was quick to come up with solutions to unexpected challenges. Finding one in his group had become nervous at the sight of cows in a field they were due to walk through, John promptly unfurled his umbrella and shielded her from them! John was as much into walk leading for the sociability as for the outdoors. He enjoyed sharing his knowledge of local countryside and culture with guests. The evening quizzes he ran, such as one working out to what Italian dishes, for example, Carta di Musica (Sheet Music) and Strozzapretti (Priest Strangler) referred, often played on language and customs, provoking a lot of laughter. Between walk-leading appointments, John played golf with equal enthusiasm and commitment. Taking on the role of treasurer of the seniors at his golf club, he happily socialised as he went round collecting money, chatting about the rather risky subject of Brexit in the run up to the vote, whilst retaining the friendship of all.

The ‘best twenty years’ also gave John more time to pursue other long-held passions. He loved and supported most forms of the Arts, opera being a favourite, and delighted in introducing friends to performances at Glyndebourne. Using his extensive knowledge of wine production, he prepared blind wine tastings for a long-standing group of ex-DTI colleagues who, at the end of each session, inevitably concluded that they needed more practice! John’s belief in ‘making the most of what you’ve got’ was never more to the fore than when he was diagnosed with MND late in 2022. The impact of the disease was confined for some time to his left arm, then his right. Driven by a wish to reduce the caring burden on his wife, John spent many hours sourcing practical aids such as an easy to use sling, stylish protective head gear and portable adjustable straws, essential for wine tasting and flat whites. He took part in harvesting grapes at his local vineyard with only one hand and became an expert on laptop short cuts and voice control. Most of all, he valued time spent with family and friends, using his quick wit and intellect to the end.

John died suddenly of a form of pneumonia associated with MND. We sorely miss his vitality and passion. Yet his spirit of curiosity and lifelong learning, love of people and the outdoors, and sheer joy of life is with us still. John was keen to help others living with MND, taking part himself in a drugs trial and a video featuring aids he’d found.

In John’s memory, the family are promoting charities who support people with MND, campaign for better care and advocate for research into the disease.