Alan St Jean was a true gentleman.
Alan was born on 17 November 1941 in Mauritius, son to Jessie and Yves and eldest of five children, with siblings Ronnie, Nicole, Herve, and Dennis.
 
Alan was a bright boy, winning a scholarship to attend College du Saint Esprit, Mauritius and attaining the accolade of top student in French. At the age of sixteen he emigrated to the UK and lived in Barnet.
 
Alan’s hard work and studies paid off when he became a foreign exchange dealer for ANZ Bank. Dealing was to prove a long and illustrious career, and within seven years, Alan had become chief dealer for ANZ. Alan was considered to have the ‘Midas touch’ and carried this with him throughout his years and various banks, until ultimately retiring aged fifty-five from CCF Bank where he held the position of General Manager and Treasurer.
 
Despite Alan’s many life achievements, his greatest pride and focus was always his family. This story began in 1961, when his cousin Ginette was a colleague of a young woman called Christine. She saw the potential for some match making and showed Christine a photograph of her cousin. If you look at the back of order service you will see the very same picture which made Christine so keen to meet Alan! A blind date was arranged to the cinema, and a romance was born, culminating in a wedding on 8 June 1963.
 
The marriage was to produce a large and beautiful family. Alan and Christine were blessed with children Michele, Carole, Colette and Adam, and in time, grandchildren Chloe, Jessica, Jack, Phoenix, Thomas, William and Zen.
 
Alan was so proud of his family, and so committed to them. When his children were young, they enjoyed many family holidays, mostly to France, but all over Europe and Florida. They remember a lovely childhood with traditional Christmases and birthdays spent as a family and Alan really enjoyed these times.
 
He enjoyed good food and drink, although his favourite always remained his Mum’s ‘Granny Jessie Chicken’ which Christine would cook for him, sometimes accompanied by a glass of a favourite Australian red wine.
 
Alan was an extremely caring and altruistic person. He was very kind and affectionate and he was a fabulous provider for his family and a generous philanthropist.
 
He adored spending time with his grandchildren, playing football with them in the garden and teaching them golf. They all loved sleepovers with their grandparents and being with their loving and nurturing grandparents.
 
Alan was a big sports fan and liked to follow Spurs, loathing all things relating to Arsenal, their North London rivals! Alan was a very accomplished golfer, enjoying a round up to three times a week and had a handicap of nine at his peak. He played in a number of Forex pro-am tournaments and during his time encountered people such as Gary Player, Bill Roach and Peter Alliss.
 
Alan enjoyed music and popular culture. His children remember cinema trips with him to see the latest films when they were small. He has a great sense of humour and enjoyed all the comedy classics, with his infectious laugh ringing in the air. He enjoyed pop and opera, especially George Michael and Queen. He also liked Kylie Minogue although Christine suspects the attraction wasn’t purely about her music!