The Rt Revd Dr Brian Castle, Canon Hilary Johnson, and Professor Hubert Lacey write:
BORN and brought up in London, Ian Ainsworth-Smith trained for ministry at Westcott House, Cambridge. It was during this time that he met Jean Cartwright who was singing in a production of The Mikado. It was love at first sight, and their marriage in 1965 was the start of an adventure that was to span 56 years They were a team throughout, sharing so much, including their email address.
In 1967, Ian was ordained in London when the swinging ’60s were in full swing. At the same time, the Church was discussing John Robinson’s book Honest to God, and South Bank Religion was being spearheaded in Southwark diocese. The young Ian was shaped and encouraged in these passionate and questing times as he served his title at John Keble Church, Mill Hill. In 1969, Ian and Jean, with twin sons, went to the United States, where Ian took a course on Clinical Pastoral Education at Massachusetts General Hospital.
Returning in 1971, Ian served a curacy at St Mark’s, Purley, until 1973, when he was appointed chaplain at St George’s Hospital, Tooting, in south-west London. This was the beginning of a very distinguished 33-year ministry, which was recognised locally and nationally: he became an honorary canon of Southwark Cathedral in 1995, and he was awarded an MBE in 2006. He was ideally suited to the position of chaplain: his intelligence, emotional warmth, and pastoral heart, meant that he was welcomed by staff and patients, especially at crisis moments in their lives. Over the years, chief executives and board members would be regular visitors to Ian’s office to seek his wisdom.
Ian provided pastoral care for people injured in severe, traumatic circumstances, such as the casualties after the Hyde Park bomb blast in July 1982 and, in December 1988, the Clapham rail disaster, in which 35 people lost their lives and hundreds were injured. Ian participated in the Clapham disaster’s annual memorial services for the rest of his time at St George’s.
Ian was also a clinician. Trained as a psychotherapist, he took on patients referred by the psychiatry department. He was also a gifted teacher. His book on the care of the dying and the bereaved, Letting Go, co-written with Peter Speck in 1982, is still in print. Its success generated many invitations to speak. He became a regular and much appreciated speaker at the death, dying, and bereavement courses at Ripon College, Cuddesdon.
Ian had a gentle manner, with a clear analytical mind, and at the same time was passionate about justice. He described his calling as “comforting the disturbed and disturbing the comfortable”. Ian was active in the movement for the ordination of women; on one occasion, he narrowly avoided being arrested during a demonstration on the steps of St Paul’s Cathedral. He served on and chaired research-ethics and clinical-ethics committees. In retirement, he was called upon to chair similar committees for hospital trusts in the south-west of England.
On retiring, Ian and Jean moved to Somerset, where Ian was much in demand,. He used his considerable gifts in supporting clergy, running reflective-practice groups for his home diocese of Bath & Wells, and offering spiritual direction to many. Ian and Jean were much loved in their village of Milverton, where they took a full part in its life and activities. Ian chaired the parish council until his death.
Being a tireless adventurer, Ian jumped at the opportunity of being a lecturer and chaplain for various cruise companies. Accompanied by Jean, he visited every continent, including Antarctica, where they spent one Christmas. Ian’s love of teaching came to the fore. He always tailored his well-attended lectures to the places that the ship was visiting, so that his breadth of knowledge and interests benefited his audiences. On all cruises, ministering to the hard-pressed crew members as well as the passengers was a priority.
Ian and Jean were both were very proud of their sons and their families, and one pleasure that they enjoyed was taking their grandchildren on holiday to some of the delights of the south-west.
Ian never gave in to illness unless it really laid him low. Over the last year, he had faced some health challenges. Ian, who had spent most of his life working in hospitals, hated being a patient in one. He was looking forward to his 80th birthday in April and to a post-coronavirus-lockdown cruise in early August 2021. A massive stroke meant that the end came quickly.
Ian would have enjoyed his funeral. With the statutory 30 in the village church, many villagers participated in the churchyard, where the service was relayed. He was carried from the church by his grandsons, not to the solemn sound of sentences from the funeral service, but to the music of the Clog Dance from La Fille mal gardée. A procession through the village brought many into the streets to pay their respects. One villager put a notice up along the route which reflected the sentiments of many: under a picture of Ian were the words “Rest in peace, dear friend.”
Ian is survived by Jean and their sons, Mark and Richard, and four grandchildren.
Canon Ian Ainsworth-Smith died on 9 March, aged 79.
