Simon Boas

Early life and education He grew up in London where he attended Dulwich College Preparatory School, before moving to Winchester where he won a scholarship for his secondary education at Winchester College, an all-boys boarding school. His father was a businessman, and his mother was a book editor who also worked for Citizens Advice. Both volunteer for the homelessness charity Shelter and their local food bank. At the age of 16 he delivered his first humanitarian aid convoy to a refugee camp near Mostar in Bosnia She described him as "a tall English gentleman in a Panama, reading The Economist". from 2010 to 2012 where he was head of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization office.

In October 2014 they returned to the UK and he began work for the Government, where he was seconded to several organisations including HM Revenue & Customs and the Government of Jersey. They moved permanently to Jersey in 2016 where he was executive director of Jersey's overseas aid agency from that October until his death in 2024.

During their time in Jersey, Boas and his wife volunteered for the Honorary Police in their home parish of Trinity, which entailed being called out to deal with incidents like dangerous overhanging branches and loose horses, but he never made any arrests.

Cancer diagnosis A heavy smoker, Boas estimated that he had smoked around 200,000 cigarettes over 30 years and described a few periods of his drinking as "fairly Churchillian". In September 2023, when he was aged 46, Boas wrote an article in the Jersey Evening Post where he announced that lumps in his neck and difficulty swallowing had been diagnosed as terminal throat cancer. Despite chemotherapy and radiotherapy at Southampton General Hospital, and it was subsequently reprinted in The Spectator, The Daily Telegraph and the Daily Mail. He also read it on the BBC Radio 4 programme Broadcasting House.

His third and final article was published on 13 May 2024. People from all over the world contacted him, including celebrants and priests who wanted permission to read parts of the letters at weddings or in sermons. On 6 July he moved into Jersey Hospice Care. During his last days, he was due to meet Charles III and Queen Camilla at a tea party during their visit to the island, but as his condition had worsened, instead the Lieutenant Governor of Jersey delivered a hand-written letter from them which said how moved they had been by his charitable work and courage.

He died at the hospice on 15 July 2024, the day of the royal visit.

A Beginner's Guide to Dying His book, A Beginner's Guide to Dying , became the second-best seller on Amazon.co.uk through pre-orders

The first section of the book includes copies of the Jersey Evening Post articles. A section entitled 'Death and Equanimity' includes his thoughts on meditation, gratitude, God and religion, counselling, others' grief, psychedelics in which he advocates use of psilocybin – miracle cures, hope and acceptance, thinking about death, optimism, regrets and bucket lists. The final section gives his advice on interacting with the dying.

Reviewing the book for The Guardian, Alex Preston wrote that "you're struck repeatedly by the terrible juxtaposition of the rush of erudition from this fantastically bright mind still thrumming with life and wit, and the silence of the end, which is so near." He added, "There are wonderful vignettes, beautiful meditations on faith and friendship, advice for the dying and those around them."

It was announced that some of the proceeds would be donated to the International Children's Palliative Care Network and African Palliative Care Association. The book became a bestseller in the first week of sales, and all 20,000 copies in the initial print run sold within the first month. It was due to be published in seven other countries including Germany, Japan, Latvia and Taiwan.

Legacy At the 2024 Pride of Jersey Awards, Boas was posthumously awarded the Gary Burgess award, which was established in memory of a Jersey journalist who died of cancer in 2022 "to recognise islanders who stand out as beacons of the community and for bringing people together in times of adversity".

In November 2024, Jersey Finance renamed one of its Sustainable Finance Awards the "Simon Boas Award for Outstanding Individual Contribution". He had previously been a member of the judging panel. The award was presented for the first time in 2025 by his widow.

Emma Barnett's interview with him for BBC Radio 4's Today programme was selected as "Interview of the Year 2024".

In January 2026, the University of Bath awarded Boas a posthumous doctorate Doctor of Policy Research and Practice presented to his sister by the university’s chancellor, Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh.