J SH 1988-1997
We have been notified of the sad death of Simon Frankau who passed away on 26th March 2025 at St Christopher’s Hospice, Sydenham, aged 45. He is survived by his wife, Caroline, and children David and Miranda. Our thoughts and best wishes are with them.
At Wycliffe:
Sports: Cross Country, Rugby, Rowing, Squash, Badminton.
Member: Literary Society,
Prizes: Honours Tie, Year Prizes (9, 10 & 11), PASS Travel Award, Computing,
Mathematics, MJ Squance Prize for Science, Hadler Computing Prize, Gold
Medal Junior Mathematical Olympiad, Silver Medal British Physics Olympiad.
After Wycliffe, Simon went to St John’s College Cambridge where he graduated in Computer Science for both undergraduate and PhD. Post-university, Simon enjoyed marriage and parenthood, as well as a career in London, and a wide range of interests from sport climbing and sailing to political philosophy and music theory.
If you would like to have your memories of Simon posted on this webpage, please feel free to email them to TWS@wycliffe.co.uk
This is obviously tremendously sad news. I well remember Simon and, although we didn’t keep in touch post-Wycliffe, I am really quite shocked.
I knew him as an incredibly intelligent student but also as a very good guy. I was more arts orientated and he more science, but I always liked him because he was genuine. He wasn’t awkward with his “geekiness”. He was as I say a super clever chap, but never came across as superior nor shy. I recall, at the ages of 17 and 18, having really good conversations and general chats with him; he was always confident in what he said but not in a brash way at all.
He was far more mature and adult than our peers; I enjoyed talking to him for that very reason. He was, we all knew, destined for great things.
My sincere condolences to his wife and children, who he clearly loved deeply. To be taken at forty-five is no age at all but his intellect and took him further than most of us achieve in longer lifetimes.
Rest in peace, Simon.
– Alex Jenkins (S 1990-1997)
