Jonathan Christopher Francis -- always known as Chris -- is remembered by classmates as a good-natured, friendly, humourous person.  His upbringing was unusually relaxed for that era: classmates were surprised to find that Chris called his mother and father by their first names.  The family home became a convivial social gathering place (and rock 'n roll appreciation site) for a circle of Chris's friends from DHS.  At school, Chris persevered with subjects that did not interest him much, and played sport with a mild enjoyment, but it was apparent that his real world was outside of school.

Chris was one of our first classmates to acquire a moped, and he soon became so fascinated by its workings, and so adept at maintaining the machine, that he began to repair mopeds for others.  Chris's father Eric was a teacher (and later principal) at Mansfield Junior School, but he saw that Chris had a greater aptitude for mechanics than academics, and encouraged Chris to pursue that interest.  Soon a workshop was attached to the house for Chris's use, where he developed further skills in things mechanical.

After school, Chris started his own panel beater/car body workshop, which he ran with success for several years.

Chris married Elizabeth Robertson in 1968.  They had two daughters, the twins Victoria and Judith, born in 1974.

In the course of his work at the body shop, Chris often dealt with insurance companies that wanted to know the details of damage to vehicles and estimates for the repairs. In time, this experience led Chris to a new and less strenuous occupation, that of an insurance appraiser.  He set up his own company, Chris Francis Assessing CC, in Glenwood.  The firm dealt primarily with property evaluations, claims assessing, and risk inspection services for the insurance industry.  The enterprise was successful and Chris ran it for the rest of his life.

Chris was one of the first classmates to join the class website in 2010, and was well informed about the lives of his schoolmates.  However he showed no interest in actual contact with classmates:  he provided no personal information in his profile and took no part in any of our activities, even though he lived close to the venues of our 50 year reunion and other meetings in Durban.  For this reason, we we have very little information about the details of his later life.

We have learned that Christopher Francis died on 2 July 2024, but we have no information on the cause of death. He was survived by his daughters Victoria and Judith. We believe had separated from his wife Elizabeth some years previously.

[Special thanks to Gary Edwards for his help with this In Memory notice]