John Barnett Sermon was born in Kings Norton Birmingham on 3rd June 1931 – the first son to Eric and Marjorie Sermon and was followed by Michael in 1933 and then Richard in 1946.

The Sermon family had moved from Birmingham in the early 30’s to Nottingham where John was to spend the majority of his working life.

John began his education at Nottingham High School which proved to be a foundation for his career in the post war years. On leaving the High School John started as a trainee Quantity Surveyor working in the day for Gleeds and going to “night school” to study for his qualifications as a Chartered Surveyor and Quantity Surveyor

But life wasn’t all work and no play for John. John met Mary Jean Hilton at a church dance in Daybrook, Nottingham  where because the boys were a little shy the dance organiser told the girls to take one shoe off and put it in the middle of the floor and the boys should pick one up and that would be their dance partner -John had already clocked Mary’s red shoes but pretended he didn’t know and went to Mary’s friend to match the shoe ..it soon became apparent that John and Mary were an item eventually marrying in 1955 after a long courtship!

After a blossoming career at Gleeds John decided  to leave to work with his father Eric and brother Michael in the building trade at W.J.Simms Sons & Cooke  moving from Nottingham to establish the newly formed office in Manchester where he built thousands  of homes in places like Wigan, Ashton under Lyne and Charlesworth as well as many landmark buildings in Nottingham such as the Nottingham Playhouse, John Player’s headquarters and faculty buildings at Nottingham University. The business grew very rapidly in the heyday of post war Britain and even exported prefabricated houses to Canada, Australia and the Middle East.  John was promoted to Managing Director and moved back to Nottingham with a growing reputation and a growing family.

John’s daughter Elizabeth (Liz) who lives in the Lake District, was followed by Philip (Phil) who lives in Berkshire and Charles (Charlie) who lives in London.

John’s passion outside of work and family was in – “giving back”.  John was not only a one-time President of Rotary in Nottingham but became a school governor and Chairman of the governors of Nottingham Girls High School as well as President of his old school alumni, the Old Nottinghamians, He and Mary were involved in supporting many local and national charitable causes. John was also a Liveryman in the City of London as a member of the Worshipful Company of Wheelwrights, the Company where his late brother Richard became master and then subsequently Sherriff of the City of London.  John was extremely proud of his family.

After growing Simms to become the third largest building company in the country, John left to start the next chapter of his career in partnership with his brother Michael.  The brothers expanded their partnership owning a diverse range of businesses including a plant hire and quarrying business in the Peak District and hotels in the Channel Islands in the late 1970s -but John’s passion was building so eventually he developed his part of the business in the 1980s into a building projects management and investment practice working in places as diverse as Spain, Florida, North Wales and then back to Nottingham. Never officially retiring!

John and Mary moved to Sidmouth in 1992 to be closer to their grandchildren -Liz’s son James and daughter Claire, Phil’s son JJ and Charlie’s daughter Isabella.

John and Mary loved semi-retirement in Sidmouth and had a very busy social life built around the Church of England and Rotary.  John also loved travelling and particularly cruising with P&O. John also regularly travelled back to Nottingham to support his many friends until in 2014 Mary became ill. John devoted his time to care for his beloved soul mate Mary until she sadly died in September of that year.

Shortly after Mary’s death John moved home in Sidmouth to Sanditon House.

In 2017 he married Josephine Green, whom he knew from Nottingham; she moved south from her home in rural Lincolnshire. As husband-and-wife John and Josephine spent five happy years together in Sidmouth with Josephine supporting John in his later years as he was unable to travel due to the challenges of COVID and reduced mobility.

Nevertheless John was always keen to arrange family parties and the social events he dearly loved.  He was always a very proud man, proud of his appearance, proud of his career and proud of the family he so adored. He was rarely seen without his trademark jacket and tie and freshly polished shoes.  As you’d expect he loved his Queen and country and was most recently excited by the pomp and circumstance of the Queen’s platinum jubilee celebrations which coincided with his 91st birthday. He especially loved the famous fly pasts over Sidmouth by the Red Arrows. Even as recently as mid-June, John and Josephine went to the Radway Cinema in Sidmouth to see one of his granddaughters, Isabella, in the film Jurassic World Dominion. Active until the end, John was at heart and will always be remembered as an accomplished businessman a family man and a true gentleman.