Tributes paid to award-winning Derbyshire chef and dad-to-be diagnosed with cancer just hours after finding out his wife was pregnant

Jonathon Wells, 28, of Clay Cross, passed away on New Year’s Eve after losing his fight with the disease, just 21 days before his daughter Ophelia, was born.

Sarah Wells, 30, Jonathon’s wife, said: “He was so excited to become a dad. I think it kept him fighting longer. The diagnosis was a shock. I found out I was pregnant the same day that he was diagnosed with cancer. It was a nice morning and a rubbish afternoon.

"Jonathon was the nicest person ever – very caring and generous. He was quiet when you first met him but when you got to know him you couldn't shut him up. He wasn't afraid to tell people what he thought. And he was very passionate about food.”

Jonathon, who was born in Clay Cross, turned his passion for food into a successful career as he has become an award-winning head chef at the age of 21 and worked across various venues in Derbyshire, including Horsley Lodge Hotel and Restaurant, The Shoulder at Hardstoft and the Peak Edge Hotel in Chesterfield.

His specialty was pastry and as a side line to his career, Jonathon started making his own luxury handcrafted chocolates – Peak Chocolates.

Sarah said: "The first time he ever cooked for me he made me an amazing three course Gordon Ramsay style meal in his house. It was ridiculous to eat a meal like this in someone's house, not a restaurant.”

Jonathon continued his career despite suffering from Ulcerative Colitis and later developing liver condition PSC but everything changed when he was diagnosed with stage four cancer in May 2022 – just six months after moving in with Sarah to their dream house in Newton, Alfreton.

Sarah said: “I’ve been with Jonathon for a number of years, When I first met him he already had Colitis disease. Because of Colitis, he later developed PSC. He was okay for a while because PSC usually has around a 10-year window from when you first get diagnosed before anything starts to change. It increases the chances of developing cancer but the diagnosis just six months after we got married was shocking.”

A few months after the diagnosis Jonathon’s health rapidly declined and he was in and out of the hospital. After over six months of brave fight, he passed away on December 31.

In the eulogy, Jonathon’s family said: “In thinking about what Jono went through in facing this diagnosis most of us would collapse under the weight of the challenges that he faced, but he was brave and determined. He accepted his challenge with remarkable strength and tremendous courage. He accepted his ill health with grace, honour and dignity and displayed more courage and hope than anything Sarah and his family could have imagined possible, a remarkable brave, young man.”

A few months after losing her uncle, Evie, 10, Jonathon’s niece, decided to organise a charity hike and set up a fundraiser to support Crohn‘s and Colitis disease research and help her baby niece.

The walk which will take place on Monday, July 3, will be a seven-and-a-half mile hike up Talkin Fell and Simmerson Hill in Cumbria. Evie, who goes to Heath Primary school is planning to finish her hike in a place where Sarah has planted a tree in Jonathon’s memory earlier this year.

On the GoFundMe page Evie, who will be hiking alongside her mum, aunt, and Jonathon and Sarah’s Golden Retriever Cooper, said: “As many of you know my uncle Jono did develop cancer and despite a courageous battle he passed away on New Year’s Eve. Just 21 days later my baby cousin was born and sadly never got to meet her daddy.

“Any donations big or small would be greatly appreciated but we would also like to raise as much awareness as possible around this truly rubbish disease.”

Sarah said: “I’m very proud of Evie. There are so many people affected by Crohn's and Colitis but there is there isn't a cure, there aren’t many treatments, and there isn’t really anything out there for them in the way of support. If Jonathon hadn't had Crohn's or colitis, he potentially wouldn't have gone on to develop PSC which means his chances of getting cancer would have been halved.”

On the back of Evie’s hike, Sarah is planning to do a 10k walk with Jonathon's mom for Crohn's and Colitis UK and as well as complete The National 3 Peaks Challenge with Evie’s mum Melissa Poole, Laura Whitton and Emma Delaney.

Laura, who has set up a seperate fundraiser, to help her friend said on her GoFundMe page: “On 31 December Sarah had to say a heartbreaking farewell to the love of her life, husband and their first child’s Daddy. We have set up this GoFundMe to help support Sarah and Ophelia over the coming months.

"This will help relieve some financial worries going forward - especially with the cost of living whilst on maternity leave and to give Ophelia the life her daddy would of wanted her to have with no worries. When you loose your life partner in such a tragic case there isn’t much help out there financially, even though the bill payers are cut by half the bills remain the same.”