We are very sorry to notify you of the passing of Paul who was at the School from 1974 until 1981. 

Mr Nigel Farthing, Chair of Governors, writes as follows:

"I am deeply saddened by the news of Paul Wranek's untimely death.  Paul was a pupil at the School between 1974 and 1981 and became Assistant Bursar in 2007, before later taking over as Bursar on the retirement of Peter Boughton.  He held this position until his own retirement in 2023.  Paul was a diligent, kind and compassionate man whose affection for Ipswich School as an institution, and the whole school community, was at the heart of all that he did.  He will be remembered by many for his extraordinary Elvis Presley impersonation, a talent which showed a different side of the man."

Paul was a deeply committed OI, and a great supporter of the Old Ipswichians and the School. He was a regular attendee at OI events over the years, and was an enthusiast for life. The Committee and I will remember his wise counsel, and his kindness, and send our very best wishes to his family at this difficult time.

We are conscious that some people who knew Paul during his time at the School may not be in contact with us and we would be very grateful if you could pass on this information to those that you know.

As is usual practice, we would like to place an obituary for Paul in the 2024-25 OI Journal. If you know of any stories or memories which you can pass on to us so we can put them together for the publication we would be most grateful. Please address any contributions to me through oldipswichians@ipswich.school

Sally Webber
OI Chair

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Please see below a photo from 1978 of a spoof doo wop group formed at the School which first showcased Paul Wranek's considerable vocal talents as a lead vocalist.  The photo was taken before the band's first gig at Woolverstone, and featured left to right, Mark Hudson, Tim Fenton, Mark Bailey, Chuck Wranek, Nick Mulvaney, and Patrick Bills (deceased 1980).

The band was called Fats Fenton and His Happy Boys.  Hudson and Chuck were proper musicians, who went on to greater things.
RIP Chuck 

Mark Bailey (OI 1972-79)

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I can across Paul in the last couple of years in Woodbridge near the tennis courts and allotments to discover he was enjoying his allotment and home grown products. We had a chat and reminisced much about the time we were both in a School band where Paul had become the lead singer. The band was known as Fats Fenton and the Happy boys consisting of my brother Tim Fenton, Mark Bailey, Mark Hudson and many others. Mark lead guitar, Tim on the bass and me on keyboards. Paul always said I played Blueberry hill too fast. Fabulous days at various parties and really quite a passable sound especially Paul leading from the front.

Chris Fenton (OI 1969-80)

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Whilst we were in the sixth form, Paul and various others from our year group formed a band called Kastril and the Angry Boys. I can offer absolutely no clues as to the derivation of this name! More importantly, they were actually quite good with an emphasis on rock and roll songs. Consistent with the obituary you have already circulated, this included several Elvis numbers.

I thought you might care for this photo. This almost certainly dates from 1981. In addition to Paul on mic, other OI's in the photo include, from the left:-

Roger Digby; playing guitar and wearing sunglasses.
Jimmy Harding on drums. Jimmy was actually in the 1980 year i.e. one year younger than the rest of the band.
Chris Young; guitar, orange shirt.
Marc Finch; guitar and grey shirt.
Jonathan 'Joff' Hudson. I think he was a backing singer.

I was a mere groupie. This performance was at Felixstowe College, which may have been a factor in why I felt the need to attend..

I hope you like this picture. It is one that I have always treasured. It is all the more poignant given this week's sad news.

John Lowe (OI 1970-81)

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I met Paul well known as Chuck Wranek, a nod to his great voice, in 1974. We became firm friends through our mutual love of angling. We shared many fishing adventures often accompanied by his father Vic. It was unusual to find an adult to be nearly as passionate as we were. He was prepared to fish on as our lines froze to the rods and a pike attacked our keep nets. Vic drew a line at overnight Tench sessions at Holbrook Gardens as a ‘guest’ of Dora Stanley who had taught me in the prep. We kipped down in a derelict caravan beside the bank in order to maximise every fishing moment. Sadly Vic was diagnosed with terminal cancer. I recall tearfully greeting Paul at a party hosted by Sally Simmonds just after I had found out Vic had passed away. It was typically courageous of Paul to join his friends only a few days after his father had died.
Paul was always a few steps ahead of me with male milestones. I was proud of the independence provided by my 50 cc Mobylett, whilst he was on 250 cc Honda enjoying a different class of speed and kudos. My 96 year old mother still boasts about the evening she was Paul’s pillion passenger, the only time she has ever been on the back of a motorcycle.
Paul made our lives better in and out of school. He was an excellent sportsman and real team player. What stood him apart was his voice and encyclopaedic knowledge of rock and roll lyrics. He was the heart throbbing front man with The Happy Boys lead by Mark Hudson. When Mark and his colleagues left school Paul and Marc Finch formed Kastril And The Angry Boys. The eclectic name was coined by Tom Stevenson, inspired by a character in Ben Johnson’s 1610 play, The Alchemist. This band made up of mostly from our year group included: Roger Digby and Chris Young on guitar with Marc Finch on bass. Ex pupil Jimmy Harding played drums and Tom Stevenson occasionally played the keyboards. Joff Hudson, Emma Lush, Louise Norman and Anelie Flemming-Brown were on backing vocals. The band regularly entertained us with energetic sets inspired by the rock and roll greats.
Happily our friendship continued after we both left school and went to University. Paul visited me at Nottingham. His good looks and easy charm made him a very popular guest at boat club parties. He even got me on the back of his motorcycle for a trip to Oxford to attend a party organised by one of my house mates.
Returning to Suffolk from Australia and starting work as a GP in Stowmarket I was delighted to find that Paul and Rosie were restoring a barn near Finborough. I could observe their progress and have a quick cup of tea by making a small diversion whilst out doing house calls. Of course, we also talked about fishing and planned trips, however time always seemed to be our enemy.
Paul was devoted to his family and on retiring from his role as School Bursar Paul was able to spend more time with his daughter Jess and her child, his son Christian and elderly mum Shirley. Of course he had more time to go fishing! Only last year Paul and my son Joe shared fishing tales on Face Book and pictures of an enormous Pike Paul had caught. Paul and I talked about Predator fly fishing and considered when we would try to arrange a trip, would it be Pike or Seabass? I am deeply grateful for all the fabulous memories I have of shared times with Paul. My only regret is that I did not take the opportunity to make more memories with our dear friend Chuck.
Simon Rudland (OI 1970-80), with help from Marc Finch (OI 1970-81)

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I am so sorry to hear about Paul, I will miss him very much indeed. I first met Paul on the day of my interview at Ipswich School to join the Development Team. He was always so supportive during my near 7 years at Ipswich School but not only that, he became a friend. We had many hilarious conversations, and a shared love of Marmite! Paul would find the most obscure Marmite flavoured gifts for my birthday's, and I would too, (we shared our birthday month, so November Marmite snacks were a plenty!). We joined each other at many OI events and lunches in the Greyhound. I am so sorry that Paul has passed away so young, I wish we had the opportunity for many more lunches and laughs together. Much love always, Nikki Brown, Former Development Director at Ipswich School. 

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Paul was one of the first people I met when I started working at Ipswich School. His insight as both a key member of staff and an OI was always much appreciated and I really valued his viewpoint on all things to do with development and fundraising.  We would often end up chatting in his office about life in general when I'd only popped in for a five minute catch up, and he was always generous with his time and advice. I'd kept across what Paul was up to after his retirement via Facebook and it was lovely to see posts about days out with his mum, his fishing exploits and of course his children and grandchildren. I'm so saddened to hear of his untimely passing, and send my deepest sympathies to all who loved and knew him.

Heather Bush (Former Development Director, 2016-2018)

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