Geoff Issott, 1937-2023

Sad news today: after a brief stay in hospital, Geoff died last Thursday.   We last saw him in September of last year when we were staying in Bellinzona, and although he was by then a bit confused, he and Pam had walked the mile or so to the restaurant where we met.  That was a few days after his 85th birthday, so although he’d had some physical health issues, he seemed as fit as a fiddle.  His health had begun to slide by then, and although visiting carers had allowed him to stay at home as long as possible, he spent his last few days in Berne’s Insel hospital.

Geoff and I first met in May 1974, when I went to Lausanne to work for a few weeks as a translator at a Universal Postal Union Congress.  Geoff was already on the UPU staff as a translator, and went on to finish that part of his career as head of the English translation service.  We’d met in the meantime at the 1979 Rio de Janeiro Congress, and I visited the gang again at the 1984 Hamburg Congress, though as a tourist that time, not as a translator. I made many friends through the UPU Congresses, notably Claire Smith, whom I mentioned here last month, Barbara Atkinson, whom regular readers will remember, and Anne-Louise Picard, one of the Canadian translators at the Rio bash.

Geoff, Pam and I went on to meet frequently in each other’s various homes, and they invited me to join them on a memorable tour of  Southern India: it had been planned as a cricket tour, but when they couldn’t organise the fixtures, they decided to make a holiday of it and invite some friends.  

Formidable linguist, excellent company and a loyal friend.  I shall miss him.