Superyacht sinking: Jonathan and Judy Bloomer ‘inspiration to many’, says family after couple confirmed dead
The family of Jonathan and Judy Bloomer have described them as “incredible people and an inspiration to many” following their deaths in the sinking of a luxury yacht in Sicily.
The Morgan Stanley International bank chairman, 70, and his wife were confirmed dead after five bodies were found by divers on Wednesday – taking the number of confirmed dead to six.
The pair were on the trip with British tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch to celebrate his court victory back in June.
“We are grieving for our loved ones and all of those affected by the tragedy. We would like to express our sincere gratitude to the emergency services and everyone who helped tirelessly in this rescue operation,” the family said in a statement on Thursday.
Superyacht sinks latest: Five bodies identified
“Our parents were incredible people and an inspiration to many, but first and foremost they were focused on and loved their family and spending time with their new grandchildren. Together for five decades, our only comfort is that they are still together now.
“This is an unimaginable grief to shoulder. Our only ask is that our family’s privacy is respected at this time.”
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Five bodies identified after yacht sinks
Mr Bloomer was serving as chairman of both Morgan Stanley and insurance group Hiscox at the point of his death.
The City veteran was said to have interests in sailing, rugby and music, and was also a member of the finance committee of UK children’s charity NSPCC.
He was married to Ms Bloomer, a trustee and long-time supporter of gynaecological cancer research charity the Eve Appeal.
‘Friend and mentor to many’
Ted Pick, chief executive of Morgan Stanley, also paid tribute to Mr Bloomer and sent his “deepest condolences” to all those affected by the tragedy.
“Jonathan’s leadership and experience helped the firm manage a period of complex change for our international businesses,” Mr Pick said.
“He has been a friend and mentor to many and we will all greatly miss his wise counsel and spirit of kindness.”
The superyacht sank with 22 people on board. Pic: Danny Wheelz
Aki Hussain, chief executive of insurance group Hiscox, added: “It was a privilege to have known Jonathan and to have benefited from his generosity and wisdom over the last year in his role as chair of Hiscox.
“His deep experience across our industry and in the broader business arena, combined with his personal values, made him both an excellent chair and a person I was proud to know and work with.
Meanwhile, Investment platform Hargreaves Lansdown – where Mr Bloomer was a former board director – described him as a “giant in financial services”.
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Mr Bloomer was described as a ‘giant in financial services’. Pic: Hiscox/ Linkedin
“His advice and support were immensely valuable to me, and he will be dearly missed.”
The yacht – known as the Bayesian – sank early Monday morning after a storm hit the region.
The wreckage is now on the seabed at a depth of around 50m (164ft) off Porticello near Palermo, where it had been anchored.
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Mr Lynch, 59, was also among the dead, but his 18-year-old daughter Hannah remains missing.
Twenty-two people were on board the vessel, 15 of whom were rescued – including Mr Lynch’s wife Angela Bacares and Briton Charlotte Golunski and her one-year-old daughter Sofia.
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Mike Lynch’s neighbour: ‘Words fail me’
Speaking to Sky News, one of Mr Lynch’s neighbours has described him as “generous, humble and full of integrity”.
Ruth Leigh lived next door to Mr Lynch and his wife in Suffolk for 15 years.
She described them as “fantastic neighbours” and said the tech tycoon “never played on his position” and was “very friendly and down-to-earth” despite his fortune.
A workman saved a seven-year-old boy from a burning car in the aftermath of a deadly crash caused by a suicidal ex-pilot, an inquest has heard.
The schoolboy’s rescue came following the collision on the M6, which killed former RAF man Richard Woods and four others, in October last year.
Last week a coroner ruled that Woods, 40, took his own life by deliberately driving his Skoda the wrong way down the motorway while drunk and hitting a Toyota Yaris head-on.
The driver of the Toyota, Jaroslaw Rossa, 42, was also killed, along with his two sons, Filip, 15, and Dominic, seven, and his partner Jade McEnroe, 33.
Cockermouth Coroner’s Court heard on Thursday that Ms McEnroe’s son was also in the car but survived after workman Gavin Walsh came to his rescue at the scene, which was near Tebay services in Cumbria.
In a statement to the inquest, Mr Walsh said he was a passenger in a transit van travelling to Scotland when he witnessed the crash.
He jumped out of the vehicle and used a jack to smash the rear windscreen of the Toyota and pulled the boy out of the burning vehicle.
Mr Walsh said: “We really did try, I can assure everyone we did our best. We only had minimal time.
“I saved a life that day and I hope never to witness anything like that again.”
He added that he has never stopped thinking about the boy, and said: “I hope we will meet again one day and I will give you a massive hug.”
At the time, the family were returning to Glasgow from a trip to Legoland in Windsor, Berkshire.
The inquest heard that Wood, who was travelling at a speed of at least 65mph, would have been charged with manslaughter had he survived.
Recording conclusions of unlawful killing, Cumbria assistant coroner Margaret Taylor said: “I found that Jaroslaw, Jade, Filip and Dominic died as a consequence of the unlawful acts of another driver.”
The inquest heard how Mr Woods, from Cambridgeshire, had served a distinguished 14-year career in the RAF and was a flight instructor for BAE Systems at the time of his death.
Jade McEnroe. Pic: Cumbria Constabulary
Dominic and Filip. Pic: Cumbria Constabulary
In Ms Taylor’s record of inquest, Mr Woods was said to have been experiencing “a number of stressors in his life” and had a “history of harmful use of alcohol”.
Following the crash, he was found to be nearly four times over the legal drink-drive limit and a two-thirds empty bottle of gin was found in his car.
On the day of his death, concerns had been raised over his behaviour at a work conference near Preston in Lancashire.
Mr Woods failed to return to his seat after lunch and was later spotted driving erratically and swerving across three northbound carriageway lanes on the M6.
After pulling onto the hard shoulder, he then proceeded to U-turn and drove southward on lane three.
Filip, Dominic and Jaroslaw Rossa. Pic: Cumbria Constabulary
Detective Sergeant Deborah Story, from Cumbria Police, told the inquest that Mr Woods would have been prosecuted on four counts of manslaughter had he lived.
She said hypothetical charges of murder were considered by detectives but not thought appropriate because of a lack of information that Mr Woods knew the family or anything that provided a link between them.
Ms McEnroe’s parents, Marie McEnroe and George McNellis, told the coroner they thought it was “murder”.
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A statement from the mother of Filip and Dominic, and the ex-wife of Mr Rossa, Kamila, was read out at the inquest.
She said Mr Rossa, known as Jarek, was born in Poland where they became a couple and went on to have three boys.
He loved playing computer games and had “lots of friends”, she said, and worked at the Wagamama restaurant in Silverburn, Glasgow.
She said she was “devastated” over the deaths, adding: “Our lives will never be the same.
“I am heartbroken at the passing of my beloved angels Filip and Dominic.”
Marie McEnroe said her daughter, a spa therapist, had been in a relationship with Mr Rossa for about two-and-a-half years.
She said Jade had been a “brilliant mother” to her only child, was “really happy” with Mr Rossa and it was “lovely chaos” when all the boys were playing together.
Ms McEnroe added: “Life changed forever that day”.
Ms Taylor praised the “selfless acts of bravery” from those in the aftermath of the collision, including Mr Walsh, who she said went towards the burning car “without hesitation for his own safety”.
The coroner added: “Without his swift response, Jade’s child would also have perished.”
Addressing the bereaved family members, she said: “Your loss is unimaginable but you have conducted yourself with dignity and I thank you for that. I wish you strength for the future.”
Anyone feeling emotionally distressed or suicidal can call Samaritans for help on 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org in the UK. In the US, call the Samaritans branch in your area or 1 (800) 273-TALK.
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