St Mary's Catholic Cemetery in Kensal Rise, London, is the last resting place of many of the White Fathers you may have known.

If you wish to visit the graveyard, it is probably best to go by public transport. The nearest London Underground stations are Kensal Green on the Bakerloo Line and Ladbroke Grove on the Hammersmith and City Line. The cemetery is also served by buses 18, 23, 52, 70, 295 and 316. However, cars are allowed within the cemetery and you can drive along the pathways that skirt the graves. Parking on this thoroughfare also seems to be acceptable.

There is an office attached to the Chapel of Rest (near the entrance) where enquiries can be made as to the whereabouts of individual graves (tel : 020 8969 0152) — though it may not be open on weekends.

The White Fathers have their own plot, parallel to the railway line. On the occasion that I visited, only one, unmarked grave was evident. It would appear that individual graves are somewhere near to the railway siding.

Below are photos of the memorial plaques that confront you as you enter the plot. As you will see, these also list some of the priests who are buried elsewhere.

Jon-Marc Creaney

Born: April 29, 1971; Died: November 6, 2011.

Jon-Marc Creaney, who has died of cancer aged 40, was a passionate and ambitious architect who ran his own firm in Lanarkshire and was a prominent member in a number of professional organisations.

Known to his friends and family as Jonny, he was born and brought up in Cumbernauld as the third of four children to Eric and Patricia Creaney, who were both teachers.

He was educated at St Mary’s Primary and Our Lady’s High in Cumbernauld, and left determined to pursue a career in architecture. Not having the necessary qualifications for a traditional degree course, he opted instead to study building design engineering at Strathclyde University and was also offered a post working part-time in North Lanarkshire council’s architecture department.

In 1992, having achieved the qualifications he needed, he enrolled as a part-time student of architecture at Glasgow’s prestigious School of Art while also holding down a now full-time post at the council. He graduated in 1999 and was awarded the Joe Park Award for most outstanding part-time student. The following year, having become tired of the lack of creativity available in local authority projects, he joined private architecture firm, Gerry Connelly Architects in Coatbridge – a move that would define his career.

The turning point came in 2003 when the firm faced collapse after a major client failed to pay for work, prompting the senior architect to abandon the office, taking most of the staff with him. Then 32, he declined to join them, deciding to take on and run the firm himself. The risk paid off. Through hard work and determination, he turned GCA around and within six months it was generating enough business to employ a staff of eight.

The decision underlined both his love of a challenge and sense of loyalty to his boss, the firm’s semi-retired founder, Gerry Connelly.

In an interview last year, shortly before he fell ill, he said one of the most rewarding projects of his career was the construction of a new children’s home in his hometown of Cumbernauld.

He said: “I was in the Meadowside children’s house just after it was completed and the kids that would live there came in to see it for the first time. They were jumping up and down and screaming they were so excited. I had a smile on my face for the rest of the day after that.”

He was an active member of the profession as convener of the education committee of the Glasgow Institute of Architects (GIA) and vice-chairman of the Lanarkshire Business Group, which he had been due to take over as chairman.

As well as architecture, he was a keen photographer and hill-climber who enjoyed travelling, music and socialising with his friends.

Jo Woodward, an interior designer and close friend, said: “He was a lovely, easy-going person – always smiling. He was a great friend to me in my work. He was not afraid to voice his opinion and stand up for what he believed in. He had a great passion for what he did, it wasn’t just about the salary.”

He recorded his battle with cancer in an online blog, describing poignantly how he had felt ill for the first time while eating Christmas dinner at his parents’ house last year. He was diagnosed in February and died at the Marie Curie hospice in Glasgow earlier this month. A memorial service was held at Holytown Crematorium. He is survived by his partner Julie, parents Eric and Patricia, sister Mary-Jo, and brothers Stephen and Hugh.