Celebrating the life of
Chris Nolan
This page has been created for Chris’ family and friends to share their memories and stories.
Family and friends
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Join MemoriesThis page has been created for Chris’ family and friends to share their memories and stories.
Family and friends
Helen Jenkins
Helen Jenkins Darling baby of the family
Helen Jenkins He was a shy little boy
Helen Jenkins Chris always loved cats
Helen Jenkins
Helen Jenkins
Helen Jenkins
Lawrence Gough On Thursday 16 November 1989 I went to the Birmingham NEC for a Stevie Nicks’ concert. A few minutes after me, Chris sat down in the next seat. It was, to quote one of our favourite movies, the beginning of a beautiful friendship.
Michael Briggs . . . after. Though the 'Rush' t-shirt remains defiantly unshorn.
Michael Briggs Before . . .
Susannah French Found a few photos from uni where Chris had added narrative on the back, which I could almost hear him saying... “Pete looking smooth, as normal Cap’n looking stupid, as normal”
Flora Wilson Chris and I met at Birmingham University in 1993, too many years ago now. Over the course of ten years we had some pretty amazing adventures. Being a small village girl, with (to my shame) a very limited general knowledge, Chris was like a breath of encyclopaedic fresh air. I remember him asking if I’d like to go to the temples of Angkor Wat and I thought Angkor where? But off we went, sailing over the monsoon waves of the Tonle Sap. Chris had told me this would be a breeze, it’s only a lake. Ha! Riding through the Cambodian jungle, with its cacophony of sounds as the sun sank below the horizon however, was truly breathtaking. This was Chris’ gift; to encourage those around him to be the best and bravest they could be and to live this short and precious life we have to its fullest. His kind, generous heart and absolute zest for all that is good in life will be so sadly missed by so many. May there be poetry and music and cocktails with sushi in heaven for you dear friend. Rest easy xx
Lawrence Gough Chris and I shared a house, 44 Tiverton Road, in Selly Oak for four years, with a number of people including Mike Briggs. A time of long hair, weight training, juggling and, astonishingly, ironing.
Michael Briggs It was 1999. Chris has only recently learnt how to ride a bike. He hadn't yet mastered hand signals. Our equipment was low grade. We weren't sure of the route out of London. So clearly a bike ride to Istanbul was the logical next step.
Michael Briggs But through a combination of tuna surprise (seen here straight from the tin in supermarket car park) and pluck, lots of pluck, the glorious 5th Heavy British Bike Brigade - as we became known in our own heads - forged a path across Europe.
Michael Briggs And here's Chris standing outside the Blue Mosque. The man who had only recently learnt how to ride a bike! It was an extraordinary trip and Chris was an extraordinarily remarkable person. The Heavy Bike Brigade salutes you dear friend.
Paul Davies I shared a house with Chris and Paul Newman in Moseley whilst at Birmingham University when we were trying hard not to leave! Chris was truly one of the most insightful people I had the pleasure to get to know while at Birmingham. he was also great fun to be around and also a great energiser and to be frank an organiser who we very much relied on. I attach some very happy memories from new year's eve 2000 at one of our favourite places to worship. Great times.
Alterian PLC had just acquired Mediasurface PLC, and I got a new job title, a new slightly different role, and a new boss - Chris Nolan. We were to work together for one year, before I left Alterian (no reflection on Chris). Compared to many, I barely knew him, but it's a mark of the man how much he touched those he was with even only a little whil...
Malcolm Roberts Shortly after Chris became my boss (in 2010) we had a business trip to LA. We decided to stay the weekend, and with a couple of other colleagues visit Hearst castle. It was on this trip I first got to know Chris's love of driving - in this case a jeep at high speed across a salt desert. I was in the back and I hit my head on the roof at least 3 times. Chris remained my friend, mentor and boss until the end. The way he lived his life was inspiring and humbling and I consider myself privileged and a better person for having known him.
Helen Jenkins
Amy Harrowell I worked for and with Chris back in the early 2010's. This pic is from December 2013 at the Alterian Christmas Party. One of the (many) funny and very admirable things I remember about Chris, was that he was the first person who showed me true Microsoft Excel prowess with a significant and very organised spreadsheet that I was in awe of! Chris' love and care for his family always shone through as his priority, but also one of the proudest achievements of his life. His work ethic was unlike any other that I have known and continues to inspire me today (as I believe it does many people). Nothing ever stopped him. A true family man, wonderful Father and a really nice person who was always smiling and viewed life so positively, without fail. It was a pleasure and honour to have known and learnt from him; although he leaves behind a beautiful young family, his legacy lives on, which is of some comfort. We are lucky to have known him and he will be sorely missed. Thank you Chris for being a wonderful human being.
Peter Dawson Going crazy in the Jag
Lawrence Gough Kate Bush, live at Hammersmith, after a gap of 34 years since her last concert. An incredibly memorable performance, which was almost operatic in its ambition. We were there!
Joe Stanhope One of my favorite memories with Chris happened in September 2014. I was in London for a business trip. We spent the afternoon in Avebury and Salisbury seeing large stones and the cathedral. It was a beautiful autumn afternoon. It gave me a chance to get out of the city and work through my jet lag, and he got to give his Jaguar a workout on the back roads. What a great day.
Oliver Harvey Chris, Lorry, and I enjoyed a Ridgeway walk in 2017 - fresh air, good views, good pubs, and good company.
Bob Hale May 2019 we had a great meal at a pub. My wife Patti again proving she was the favorite, not me, for Marlene and Tessa with her gift of butterfly wings. If you have the sound turned on you can hear Chris laughing
Flora Wilson I will be forever grateful that my daughter Violet and I got to see Chris and his wonderful family back in March 2020. Looking through photos on Facebook, Violet’s conclusion says it all, “Wow, Chris looks like such a great daddy.” His big heart and gentle soul will never be forgotten. Rest in peace sweet friend xx
Bob Hale A fun night up in Glasgow with a client in 2018. And I remember Mal you had a hangover the next day in the meeting. But a fun night! Roger and Patti did much better the next day. Of course none of us kept up with the Glasgow boys.
Bob Hale I was lucky enough to travel to many countries in the time Chris and I worked together. Seeing some great sites and always on the search for his beloved sushi for dinner. My family and I are all better better for having known you Chris as well as Ellen and the girls. Going to miss you brother!
Lawrence Gough
It was 1998 and I was making my first trip to Birmingham to the Aston Science Park to meet the team at Recognition Systems. Excited to be there I bounced around the office meeting all of the different folks and I bumped into a quiet, reserved developer, his name was Chris Nolan. I was immediately overwhelmed that we had a PhD on staff!! I hadn’t m...
Chris was my manager at Alterian. Possibly one of the smartest and most humble people I've ever worked for. I still remember driving him to the hospital in Seattle on his visit to Seattle. Both in the car and in his room, he was cracking jokes to calm both of us down. He will be missed.
I first met Chris when he started working at Alterian. Chris had a great reputation and was a great addition to the executive team. He was thoughtful and pragmatic and was very candid about what could be done and not done. At first, he was quiet but as he got settled in, his voice became bigger. His role was a difficult one as he had to work cl...
“They're ok the last days of May, I'll be breathing dry air I'm leaving soon, the others are already there You wouldn't be interested in coming along, instead of staying here They say the west is nice this time of year” Thanks to our shared love of Blue Oyster Cult, I will always think of Chris at the last days of May.
Lawrence Gough I’ve taken possession of Chris’ LPs, and I’m slowly going through them. The song Lakeside Park ends with the line “Though it's just a memory, some memories last forever.” I was immediately transported to Tiv in the early 90s and could hear Chris saying it.
I have fond memories of Chris. He was my manager for my 1.5 years at Alterian. He was very professional and very kind. I was very saddened to hear of his passing.