It was a clear, sunny morning on Friday 22nd November 2024 as mourners gathered in the chapel of St John’s College, Oxford to pay their last respects to Cal Shearer. The packed chapel heard the sound of a single bell tolling announcing the arrival of the funeral procession as it slowly made its way across the quad towards the chapel entrance. The Reverend Dr Elizabeth Macfarlane led the rainbow-coloured wicker casket garlanded with sunflowers to the altar steps. Cal’s family, Vicky, Paul and Eleanor and her fiancée Charlie, as well as Imogen, Cal’s wife, Imogen’s parents, Fiona and Paul, and sister Isobel followed the four pall bearers bearing Cal’s body. The organist played Vaughan Williams’ composition, Rhosymedre. During the hour-long service, the congregation heard tributes to Cal. Professor Carolyne Larrington, Cal’s Godmother, spoke of Cal’s brilliance as they progressed from prospective candidate where Cal shone during interviews gaining acceptance to St John’s to study Psychology, Philosophy and Linguistics. (PPL). Cal’s first class degree proved the admissions panel made the right choice. Although the tutors quickly learned that that the most important impact Cal wanted to make was on the immediate lives of others. “The science was a side hustle that they happened to be very, very good at.” Said Professor Larrington. Cal’s academic career continued at St John’s when they were accepted on to the neuroscience MSc and DPhil programme. Cal’s supervisors and at the MRC BNDU (Medical Research Council Brain Network Dynamics Unit) also shared their fondness for Cal describing them as a remarkable and courageous scientist. “Everyone in the lab was in awe of Cal.” said Larrington, recounting how Cal would find more efficient ways for other people to run their code. In lab meetings, they kept everyone on their toes, asking the most pointed questions and they executed complicated statistical analyses with apparent ease Cal submitted the manuscript for their doctoral thesis project days before their death. The work examined how the brain makes inferences between events that have not been directly experienced together. Lily Furber, Cal’s best friend, described one of the passions of Cal’s life: their volunteer work for Oxford Nightline, a mental health helpline to support others during the night, and later for the Samaritans. It was moving to witness so many of Cal’s fellow young volunteers standing alongside family and friends in the chapel. Lily said that Cal had completed 1400 hours at Nightline manning the phones helping fellow students in distress. It was Cal’s way of changing lives one phone call at a time, including one marathon eight-hour call from midnight to 8 a.m. when the shift ended and Cal probably went off to cox a college crew. Cal went on to lead the Nightline service in Oxford as well as sorting out other Nightline services across the UK and Ireland. As a graduate, Cal volunteered for the Samaritans putting in many hours during nightshifts. Isobel Voysey, Cal’s sister-in-law, read some recollections of Cal written by Imogen, which described their long relationship which began as a friendship at City of London School for Girls at 7 years of age. The eulogy spoke movingly about their life together as their relationship deepened, continuing through school and university. Their marriage was blessed in July 2023 by Reverend Dr Macfarlane in this same St John’s College chapel. Eleanor Shearer’s, Cal’s sister, bravely spoke of her great sense of loss. She described how people had reached out to the family on hearing the news of Cal’s death with the phrase “There are no words.” For Eleanor, this chimed with the scale of the loss for all and the inadequacy of describing the totality of Cal. Paying tribute to Cal’s compassion, Eleanor spoke of their final act of kindness which were their reassuring words saying how they knew how much they were loved. Deborah Licorish, Cal’s aunt read Funeral Prayer by Don Paterson, and Ian Shearer, Cal’s uncle read When Great Trees Fall by Maya Angelou. Sunlight slanted in through the chapel windows as the choir sang John Rutter’s For the Beauty of the Earth. Grief, shock and Love filled the chapel as the chaplain entrusted Cal to God. A lone piper, Pipe Major, Steven Duffy, heralded the end of the service, with a nod to Cal’s Scottish ancestors and to her Caribbean roots with a stirring rendition of Amazing Grace. A wake was held in St Giles House followed by a small private family service of committal at Oxford Crematorium. Cal will be missed by all who knew them. Many thanks to all those who attended many making huge efforts to be there.