John Spittle

John Spittle died peacefully on Friday 30 October 2026, aged 82. His family's announcement described him as a much loved husband, devoted dad and cherished grandpa. Warrington Worldwide reported his death on 9 November 2026, and the cause was not stated, although his family said his kidney function had deteriorated over time.

His funeral was arranged for St Wilfrid's Church, Grappenhall, on Thursday 19 November 2026 at 1.15pm, with family flowers only. The family set up a memorial fundraising page for Kidneys for Life, a charity supporting kidney research and patients in the North West.

John Spittle grew up in Warrington, Cheshire, and remained connected to the town all his life. He studied Modern Languages and Law at Cambridge University and then completed his professional training at the College of Law in Guildford, before returning home to Warrington.

Spittle qualified as a solicitor in 1969, having been involved with the law in Stockton Heath since 1968. In 1975 he established his own practice with a colleague, trading as Spittle and Howard, and in 1990 he established Forshaw Spittles. Internal growth and a series of acquisitions and amalgamations produced FDR Law, which became the largest solicitors' practice there had ever been in Warrington. When he retired as senior partner in 2009, the firm had 18 partners and a staff of more than 120 in ten buildings across Warrington, Stockton Heath and Frodsham.

He specialised in residential conveyancing, wills and probate, and lasting powers of attorney. He remained a consultant with FDR Law until 2017 and then joined Susan Howarth and Co. in Northwich as a consultant solicitor, receiving his fiftieth practising certificate in 2019. On finally retiring, with more than 55 years' experience, he founded JS Legal Connect to refer former clients to solicitors he had worked with and trusted.

Within the profession he served as President and as Secretary of Warrington Law Society and was a former President of the Association of North Western Law Societies.

Spittle was married to Christine. They had two daughters, Fiona and Harriet, and two grandchildren, Isabelle and Charlie. His family wrote that his greatest love was his family, and that he had a wonderful sense of humour, a kind and caring nature and a lifelong love of curry, trains, buses and rugby. He lived most of his life with just one kidney.

Spittle built a small partnership into the largest law firm in Warrington's history and served the town's families for more than half a century. Colleagues described him as an inspiration and key influence to lawyers young and old across Cheshire and the North West, and his family chose to remember him by raising money for kidney research and patient care.