Celebration of life for Charles Etherington-Smith

To our dear family and friends,

I write with great sadness about the loss of Charles Pears Etherington-Smith, who passed away unexpectedly on 1 February, 2024 at the age of 77 years in Johannesburg, South Africa. A beloved husband, father, brother, uncle and friend, he will be greatly missed. Charles is survived by his wife of 42 years, Sandy; children James and Lucy; and sister Anne.

A memorial is planned for Tuesday, 25 February, 2pm SAST (GMT +2 / UTC +2). The location is Buitengeluk. A live stream will be available for those who cannot attend.

Charles lived valiantly with COPD for many years and although at times it could be debilitating, it never robbed him of his spirit and joy for life. In recent months Charles dealt with skin cancer and gall bladder removal, but was on the mend. Most recently he was in ICU for breathing and heart problems.

On the morning of 1 February he once again seemed to have pulled through, and doctors were preparing to move him from ICU to the lower ward. Charles was in good spirits and looking forward to returning home. He shared a joke with Sandy, asking her to bring to the hospital a rogan josh curry and bottle of merlot! Tragically, a sudden incident grasped him which seemed cause a strain that his heart could not bear, and Charles passed away that afternoon.

We will always remember Charles as an upstanding and wise gentleman with a razor wit and a kind heart. Born and raised in London, he was a true Englishman who fell in love with the beauty and splendour of South Africa, where he finally rests.

The loss of Charles has left his immediate family with not only heartache, but the unfortunate reality of the costs of arranging funeral and memorial services. We are humbly requesting that in lieu of any flowers or other sympathy gifts, that donations are made toward these costs to help ease the burden.

We have chosen simple options to keep costs down while giving Charles the dignity and celebration of his life that he deserves. To explain the costs:

Please do not feel obliged and only donate if you are able to do so. Any help will be very gratefully received during this difficult time. If we are fortunate enough to receive more than the goal amount to cover costs, the remainder will be donated to Dogtown SA Animal Rescue Centre, as Charles and Sandy were planning to adopt a senior rescue dog.

Thank you,

James Etherington-Smith