John Courtney was described as the “happiest and kindest man” by his best friend and son
John and his wife Sylvia Courtney with son James
A well-known dad who did “anything” to make those around him smile and laugh has died. John Courtney, from Churchfields, Gateacre, is a familiar face for many in South Liverpool and the wider Merseyside running community.
The granddad-of-three has run over 50 marathons, including several within the city region. However, he was never alone, doing many of them with his adopted son James. John, a great-grandad-of-four, and his wife Sylvia took James in when he was a young teenager, after reading an article about Barnardo’s in the ECHO.
James was born with a rare condition, which meant his eyes never formed, but that hasn’t stopped him from completing countless races with his dad. Uniquely among blind runners, James did not complete the distances with a tether but instead, running beside John, tapping him on the arm to keep on the route.
John’s best friend, Bill Sergeant, 86, from Allerton, told the ECHO: “If I ever thought about what a comedian was, it would be John. There was nothing he wouldn’t do to make others happy, and seeing happiness made him happy.
John Courtney pictured left with foster son James Hughes
“His party trick was origami, and he was absolutely brilliant at it. You’d be sitting there doing nothing, and next thing, a surprise was sitting in front of you. He is the kindest man I’ve ever met. His devotion he showed to his son James from such a young age amazes me.
“He will be missed by many, some of whom do not even know his name, but stopped to speak with him and James on their training runs around the city and parks. Running was the favourite pastime not only of John but also of James, who blossomed under John’s wing.”
Bill recalled how John also led an “amazing” life away from running until his passing on Monday, December 22, from terminal cancer. At seven-years-old, John was an acrobat in a family circus before later getting involved in the military, working as a deckhand for the White Star Line.
John and his wife Sylvia Courtney with son James.
John was the youngest of five siblings, born a twin in May 1938 in Cullen Street, Toxteth – a year before World War II broke out. His family were bombed out of their home, and today there still remains a gap where their home stood. John attended St Hughes School, where he was taught by nuns.
Education was limited during the post-war years, and John, his brothers and twin sister, showed tenacity in being trained in circus skills which included rope and plate spinning, knife-throwing, fire-eating, and juggling and aerial performances on a high tight rope.
He and his brothers travelled the east coast of England during the early 50s with Courtenay Circus, where John gained an appetite for the Saturday Matinee Westerns and the slap-stick comedy classics like Buster Keaton, The Marx Brothers and Laurel and Hardy. He was an autodidact in Shakespeare, before undertaking the national service with the Liverpool Kings and was the last Kingsman in Germany.
John and his wife Sylvia celebrating their 65th anniversary together
He served in the Army Reserves for over 15 years, concluding in the medical corps. In his early working years, he experienced work in the local mines, a deck hand on the White Star Fleet, sailing from Liverpool Pier to New York, until he settled on carpentry and retired. This skill he used to build furniture and kitchen cabinets for his home in Grinshill Street, Toxteth.
His son, Kevin, told the ECHO: “He may have been a man of small statue, but he a big character and always helping others.”
Speaking about his and James’ running adventures previously to the ECHO, the retired joiner and former paratrooper said: “When James first arrived it would take an hour to walk 200 yards.
“But we would gradually go a bit further until after two and half years he ran his first marathon. I never expected he would be able to do it, but he has surprised everyone.”