Chris Marriott: A Life of Persistent Kindness
1977 – 2023
Chris Marriott was a man who lived with a servant's heart and open hands. To those who knew him through City Church Sheffield, Jubilee+, Community Money Advice or even Devoted, Chris wasn’t just a colleague, or a friend; he was a consistent force for good. His life was defined by a simple, unwavering heart: if someone was in need, you stopped and made an effort to help.
A Life Rooted in Mercy
Chris’ professional and volunteer life was marked by compassion. He didn’t seek the spotlight, yet was instrumental in building frameworks of support for the vulnerable across the UK and further afield.
• Championing the marginalised: Through the work he did with Jubilee+, Chris helped form a vital bridge between the church and those facing social injustice. He believed deeply that faith was best expressed through practical, life-changing action.
• A support through hardship: In his role with Community Money Advice, Chris stood on the front lines with people facing the crushing weight of debt, offering them not just guidance but dignity, hope and care.
• A servant’s heart: from being on staff at City Church Sheffield or his logistical leadership at Devoted or Newday management teams, Chris was the person who ensured things ran smoothly behind the scenes so that others could thrive.
A Good Samaritan
The final moments of Chris’ life, though heartbreaking, reflected the decades that had preceded them. While out with his family in December 2023, Chris witnessed a stranger in medical distress. True to character, he didn’t hesitate or wait for someone else to step in.
He died doing exactly what he had always done: noticing a person in need and moving toward them, not ignoring them and walking past. The action of crossing the road, for him, was an act of instinctive, selfless care, underlining a life written in service to others.
An Example for Others
He will be sorely missed, not just by his family but by the many friends he made along the way, all of whom felt loved and cared for in personal and particular ways. Chris leaves behind a family he adored and a community that is stronger because he was in it.
He is remembered not for the tragic way his life ended, but for the consistency with which he lived it, a faithful friend who saw Jesus’ teaching on the "Good Samaritan" not as a story to be admired, but as a standard to be met every single day.
"Chris was a man of great humility and massive heart. He lived out his faith with his sleeves rolled up."