Dennis Sibley 1950 - 2016

Sadly I heard yesterday of the death on Tuesday of Dennis Sibley who was one of the original pioneers involved with bringing Buddhism to the island. He had been involved with Buddhism for almost 40 years and in 1986 co-founded "The Buddhist Hospice Trust" with his friend, the late Ray Wills to care for people with advanced dementia.

I only met Dennis the once when he visited me in Totland to find out about the West Wight Sangha as part of a project to write a book on the development and growth of the various Buddhist groups on the isle of Wight. Regretfully, as far as I know, this never came to fruition but I know he would have been delighted to hear of the new group in Ryde. You can however read "The Laughing Buddha, Humour and the Spiritual Life", one of his pieces which gives you an insight into what made Dennis tick.

"For me, humour is essential in our lives and invaluable in the face of old age, illness and death".

Dennis Sibley