John Thomas Hobbs was a renowned vascular surgeon, researcher and educator. He was born on 18 January 1931 in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, to John Leonard Hobbs and Winifred Maud Hobbs née Haynes. He qualified in 1954 at St Bartholomew’s Medical School, London, and spent the next three years as a junior surgical specialist in the Royal Air Force. He was often based at airfields, allowing him to nurture his passion for aviation, which had begun during his teenage years. John moved to role as a lecturer in anatomy at Birmingham University in 1958. He soon developed an interest in venous disease, the field of surgery for which he became so well-known, and which gained him international attention. He developed a potential diagnostic tool for venous thrombosis, using a radioactive marker, iodine-131, labelled to fibrinogen. He was able to demonstrate this concept, working in collaboration with the Medical Research Council’s department at Birmingham Accident Hospital. These findings were published in the *Lancet*, in a paper entitled ‘Detection of venous thrombosis with 131 I-labelled fibrinogen in the rabbit’ (*Lancet* 1960 Jul 16;2[7142]:134-5). On the back of this work, John was invited to Harvard Medical School as a research fellow in surgery. J W Davies, co-author of the *Lancet* paper, replaced the iodine-131 with iodine-125, which had softer radiation, and transported it to Boston via a BOAC aircraft. The localisation of radioactivity in induced thrombi in rabbits was confirmed and, soon after, in July 1961, John was able to diagnose venous thrombosis in a human. E A Edwards injected some varicose veins with labelled fibrinogen, and demonstrated increased radioactivity localised to an area of induced thrombosis. An outbreak of hepatitis on the east coast of America brought a premature end to further work in humans in Boston. It was not until 1968 that work restarted, and the techniques validated in patients by the department of surgery at King’s College Hospital, London. Returning to London in 1961, John went to St Mary’s Hospital, London, to work with W T Irvine. He was instrumental in the establishment of a vascular laboratory at St Mary’s, where he was joined by J S T Yao. In 1968, they developed the ankle brachial index (ABI), a diagnostic tool that remains a fundamental element in the assessment of peripheral arterial disease. He was invited by the Department of Health to conduct a randomised trial in the treatment of patients with varicose veins, comparing conventional vein surgery and sclerotherapy, with 10-year follow-up data. This led to further funding from central Government to create a specialist clinic, to continue his research into the management of venous disease. This became a tertiary centre for the referral of patients with unusual and complex venous problems. John eventually started a private clinic at Upper Wimpole Street, where he treated patients from around the world. His international reputation resulted in frequent invitations as a guest lecturer, particularly to Australia, Egypt and South America. John contributed much to our understanding of venous leg ulcers and pelvic venous congestion syndrome, with several landmark papers. He also published a book –*Treatment of venous disorders: a comprehensive review of current practice in the management of varicose veins and the post-thrombotic syndrome* (Lancaster, MTP, 1977). He was especially fascinated by the function and pathophysiology of the gastrocnemial veins and made a point of collecting the few rare publications on this subject. Little did he know then that the leading author of these papers would one day become key to his future happiness. By chance he met, whilst attending a phlebology meeting in Washington in 1987, Marianne Vandendriessche, an accomplished phlebologist and said contributor to the world literature on gastrocnemial veins. This was to change the course of not only his personal life, but also his professional life. They became, and remained, partners for the next 30 years. John continued to have an extremely busy and accomplished career in venous disease and intervention. Of his many achievements, he represented the British vascular community on various international committees, particularly advising on the use of compression hosiery and anti thromboembolic prophylaxis. He was a member of committees that produced an international consensus on the prophylaxis of deep vein thrombosis, and an international consensus for the investigation of chronic venous insufficiency, both published in 2001. He was a member of the international committee that defined the venous section of international *Terminologia anatomica* and the international committee for the CEAP (clinical, etiological, anatomical and pathophysiological) classification of venous disease, still widely used in clinical and scientific practice. He was a fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of England, and also an honorary fellow of many international societies, including the American Venous Forum, the Association Columbiana Angiolana, the Capitulo Latino-America Phlebologica, the Swiss Society for Phlebology, the Asian Surgical Association, the Society Argentina Phlebolomfologia, the Egyptian Society of Surgeons, the French Society of Phlebology and the Sociedad Espanola Flebologia y Lymfologia. He was also a founder member of the venous forum at the Royal Society of Medicine. John had many interests outside of surgical practice, including flying, classic cars, ornithology, photography and painting. He was able to enjoy his outdoor pursuits to the full in his second home, Pabay Mòr in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland. This was a remote island that he acquired in 1983, by sending his secretary to bid on his behalf, due to work commitments. Whilst the sum paid exceeded John’s proposed bid, it proved to be money well spent, as he spent every summer there with his wife Marianne, who survived him. In the words of Andrew Nicolaides and colleagues from St Mary’s, who knew him so well, and remember him so fondly: ‘Many things defined this generous person. His work won him a reputation as a reliable, industrious and accomplished man; a great conversationalist with friends from far and wide, many from varied backgrounds – not just the field of medicine. None of us can ever know where life’s journey will take us, but few could have achieved more in their lifetime than John.’