Colin Tapley - Personal Life and Death

Personal Life and Death

During his time in England while in the RAF, Tapley met Patricia "Patsy" Lyon, the widowed daughter of Major-General Sir Percival Otway and Lady Hambro of the Hambro banking dynasty. Despite being from one of England's most prestigious aristocratic-banking families, with close family ties to the Royal family, Patsy encouraged that they marry quietly being as it was very much war time in England and London lay in ruin as an aftermath of "the Blitz". And so they did with her parents, twin brother, Everard Hambro and other family members present at St Martin-in-the-Fields in August 1943. Colin and Patsy lived in New Zealand and Hollywood before settling down in Coates, Gloucestershire remaining there until his death in December 1995, aged 88. Colin was buried in his old city of Dunedin, New Zealand next to his first son Martin, who had died at the age of 3 of leukemia in 1947. Patsy remained at their house in Coates, Gloucestershire until her death in 18 January 2000 survived by their second son Nigel Tapley, and stepdaughter, Charlotte Ann Lyon wife of the late shipping mogul Sir Kerry St. Johnston.