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Robert Willis, former Dean of Canterbury, dies, aged 77

23 October 2024

Canterbury Cathedral

THE former Dean of Canterbury the Very Revd Robert Willis died “suddenly and peacefully” in the United States on Tuesday. He was 77.

In a message to Berkeley Divinity School, Yale, on Wednesday, where Dean Willis was a resident Fellow, his partner, Fletcher Banner, said: “It is with great sadness that I have to tell you all of Dean Robert’s passing. After a brief illness whilst at Yale in America, Robert suffered heart failure and died last night.

“Robert was a man of great faith and intellect whose greatest joy was to share his life with others. This has been particularly so since we left Canterbury and have been welcomed elsewhere all over the world.”

Robert Willis was ordained deacon in 1972 and priest in 1973, having trained at Cuddesdon Theological College. He served his title at St Chad’s, Shrewsbury, in Lichfield diocese. He was a school chaplain at Cranborne Chase in Wiltshire, diocese of Salisbury, from 1978 to 1992. In the same period, he was Team Rector of St John the Baptist, Tisbury, until 1987, then Vicar of Sherborne until 1992.

That year, he was appointed Dean of Hereford until 2001, when he became Dean of Canterbury.

Dean Willis retired, after two decades in office, on the eve of his 75th birthday in February 2022 — a mandate that he described as “a great disappointment” (News, 18 February). The standard retirement age for clergy is 70, but the Archbishop of Canterbury granted Dean Willis special permission to continue in office until 75, the maximum age permitted by canon law.

Towards the end of his 21 years in Canterbury, he become known for his garden ministry during the first national lockdown during the pandemic, when Canterbury Cathedral — like other churches — was forced to close to worshippers. The initiative was his own, supported by his partner, as a way of not breaking the 1400-year tradition of the daily Office at the cathedral.

The popularity of Dean Willis’s broadcasts, which have a dedicated YouTube channel, took off thanks to the frequent impromptu appearances of his cats, Leo and Tiger, and other members of the Deanery menagerie. This continued in his retirement. His last broadcast was on Monday.

Mr Banner continued: “Robert has been my partner in life and ministry for more than 20 wonderful years. Like me I am sure you will carry his memory in your hearts.”

The Bishop of Dover, the Rt Revd Rose Hudson-Wilkin, was among the first to pay tribute on Wednesday. Dr Willis had a great love for his diocese, she said, and had “sacrificially made himself available” to the garden congregation. 

“I have spoken with the Archbishop of Canterbury who, like me, has expressed his ‘shock and sadness at the Dean’s passing, someone who was prayerful and gave so much to the life of the Church.’”

Dr Willis would be greatly missed, she said, “not only by the cathedral community, but by others in the wider diocese who knew him personally. We give thanks for all that he achieved in his life-long ministry and pray especially for Fletcher, his partner and all who are deeply grieving his loss.”

Archbishop Welby reposted the statement on Thursday, saying: “With so many, I mourn the loss of a faithful servant of Jesus Christ. My prayers are with Dean Robert’s partner, Fletcher, and with all those who loved and supported him over many decades. May he rest in peace and rise in glory.”

The funeral is to take place in New Haven, and a memorial service is to be held next year at Salisbury Cathedral.

This story was updated on 24 October. Obituary to follow

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