Richard ‘John’ Tonkin was born in Canada in September 1928. Sadly his Dad died in 1930, so his mother moved the family back to Cornwall where John was brought up by his extended family. 

He was blessed to receive a bursary place at Kingham Hill Boarding School and then worked at Brush Engineering in Loughborough before studying at the London College of Divinity (St Johns) and answering God’s calling to become a Church of England parish priest. 

He was a curate at the Church of the Martyrs in Leicester in the early 1960s, and in Keynsham in Bristol. He served as vicar at Holy Trinity Hinckley, St Peters and St Pauls in Oadby and at Holy Apostles in Leicester. He was also appointed a Canon at Leicester Cathedral.  After he retired John supported the work of St Christophers in Leicester and he continued supporting a number of parishes in Leicestershire and the work of those in the Diocese of the Arctic and the Verger community. 

A devoted and caring family man, he was example to all. 

John married Margaret in 1960 and had 3 children, Ruth, Elizabeth and Andrew, 7 grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren (and counting!)

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