Simon Cupitt of Cupitt Jeweller has died aged 43 after a long battle with an aggressive form of motor neurone disease.
Cupitt, who was a third generation jeweller, ran his store in Bromsgrove with his wife Åsa Cupitt. The business has been established in the town since 1946 and Cupitt joined his family business in 1995 after studying at university and spending some time working abroad.
Cupitt Jeweller, which sells watch brands Tissot, Rotary, Skagen and Wrist, is a CMJ member and the buying group’s chief executive Willie Hamilton has paid tribute to Cupitt’s courage in dealing with his illness, which left him in a wheelchair.
Hamilton said: “Simon was very much part of the industry and always had a ready smile on his face, even when he was in a wheelchair and in obvious pain. So many people within The CMJ valued him as a friend and got behind him when his illness was diagnosed to offer support to him and his family as well as helping to keep his business going during difficult days."
Helen Dimmick of retailer Green + Benz was a close friend of Cupitt and has described him as a “wonderful gentleman”. She added: “I admired him for his jewellery expertise but even more for his professional integrity. He had a passion for life and for his amazing family and he has left us with a lesson in living life to the full."
Fiona Hopper of Hoppers Jewellers in Lincolnshire was also a friend of the late retailer. She said: “Simon Cupitt had been so brave and his wife has been incredible. I find it hard to grapple any positivity out of this other than perhaps us all taking a lesson and appreciating all we have."
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