Caversham Tiles Mourns the Loss of Founder Tony Champion

It is with great sadness that Caversham Tiles announces the passing of our founder, Anthony Edward “Tony” Champion, who died peacefully on 26 July 2026, aged 88.
Tony founded Caversham Tiles in 1980 with a vision built on hard work, integrity, quality, and outstanding customer service. What began as a new business venture grew into a respected and successful company that continues to serve customers today from our Caversham and Maidenhead (Altwood Tiles), showrooms under the direction of his sons, David, Paul and David’s wife Mandy.
Tony’s journey to founding Caversham Tiles was shaped by a lifetime of dedication and achievement. Beginning his career as a Pattern Maker at Robert Corts, Reading he developed the craftsmanship, precision, and attention to detail that became hallmarks of his professional life. His talent and determination led him into senior management, eventually becoming Sales Manager for a fibreglass fabrication company, a role that took him throughout the UK and to the United Arab Emirates during a period of significant development in the region.
Despite his professional success, Tony never lost sight of the values that mattered most to him. He believed that business was about more than products and sales; it was about trust, relationships, and treating people with honesty and respect. Those principles became the foundation of Caversham Tiles and remain at the heart of the company today.
Outside of business, Tony devoted much of his life to serving others. A lifelong member of Gosbrook Road Methodist Church, his Christian faith guided his actions and influenced the values by which he lived. He was widely respected as Captain of the 1st Caversham Boys’ Brigade Company and later President of the Reading Battalion, helping generations of young people develop confidence, discipline, character, and faith.
Tony was also a proud Freemason and member of Tylehurst Lodge, where he valued friendship, charity, and service to the community.
Above all, Tony was a devoted family man. He shared a long and loving marriage with his late wife, Lilian, and was a proud and supportive father to Paul and David. His family remained the centre of his life, and his legacy will continue through them and the business he worked so hard to establish.
Tony will be remembered not only as the founder of Caversham Tiles, but as a man of faith, integrity, generosity, and quiet determination. His influence can be seen in the company he built, the community he served, and the many lives he touched over the years.
Tony’s legacy lives on in the values he instilled, the business he founded, and the people who had the privilege of knowing him. He will be greatly missed and fondly remembered.

Tony’s funeral Details:
A Celebration of Tony’s life will be held at 2pm on Monday 17th August 2026 at:
Gosbrook Road Methodist Church
Gosbrook Road
Caversham
Reading  RG4 8EB

Committal at Reading Crematorium 3:15pm

The Venue for the Wake is T.B.C.

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