AN exciting, unpredictable, generous, stubborn character who will be difficult to forget.

These are just some of the words Sue Nike has used to describe her husband of 52 years, John Nike OBE, who passed away at the age of 81 on Christmas Day.

He had fought a quiet, dignified six-year battle with cancer and died peacefully at the Royal Berkshire Hospital.

“We had a crazy life together,” remembered Sue, who met John in the rural village of Keynsham while he was working for her father as an accountant.

“But an amazing one filled with incredible memories. Like any marriage there were ups and downs.

“There were times when he amazed me and times when I could not believe what was happening in our lives, he just absolutely loved to surprise me.”

John was born in Devon in 1935 and, like many war children he had a difficult upbringing. His father, Leonard, was called away to fight in Burma.

His mother, Eleanor, worked on a farm leaving John as head of the household entrusted to bring money to the family to help look after his brothers and sisters.

“And then the inevitable happened,” said Sue. “They got the telegram saying ‘missing in action’, and the family never actually knew what happened to him.

“In a way that was worse and it always haunted John.”

In later years when he made contributions to war memorials John made sure his father was remembered by making sure his name was engraved on plaques.

As a teenager, he moved to Bristol where his mother remarried. While there, he met Sue.

“He was such an exciting character,” Sue added. “He was into sports cars and my sister and I always used to refer to him as our ‘lift’, ‘let’s get a lift with John’, we’d say.

“It seemed like overnight I became his girlfriend. He took me into Reading and bought an engagement ring, and that’s how life has been ever since.

“I never knew what was going to happen one minute to the next. For several years we lived a quiet life. I was teaching and he was an accountant with a landscaping company in Camberley.”

As he aged he fought to carry on and continued to work before he was taken into hospital. Sue said three ambulance staff had to wait while he made his last business call.

Despite being one of the most recognisable figures in the community for decades, there were two sides to John.

In the downstairs corridor of his pristine estate in Binfield lies a piece of frayed carpet that stands out like a sore thumb.

“That is where I used to say he was putting on ‘Mr Nike’,” said Sue. “He would stand there at the beginning and end of the day and scuff the carpet putting on and taking off his shoes.

“He’d check to see if he had his keys and his phone and would go out and be ‘Mr Nike’, then he’d return home, change clothes, and be the man I married.”

He loved his garden as it was his peace in his life.

Often, as his house and garden was being built in Murrell Hill Lane he would rush back from work and tend to it, still in his suit, and then go back to work.

Outside of his many business ventures, John was a benefactor to dozens of charities. Over the years, his donations to good causes ran into the millions.

“John loved to give,” said Sue. “He loved to watch when you got given it, he just got so much joy out of that.”

He is survived by his son Christopher, daughter Kathryn and grandchildren Tom, Sam, Matthew and Emily.

Funeral arrangements are yet to be made, while the Nike Group will be placed into the hands of his children.

“I always felt that because his father had no resting place to be remembered John just wanted to make sure that he did,” said Sue.

“He chose Bracknell. And he sure made a big impression.”

Bracknell News:

John relaxing at his home, near Amen Corner.