Devastated father pays tribute to his 'kind hearted' meningitis victim son who died in intensive care just hours after feeling ill

By JAMES FIELDING, SENIOR REPORTER Published: 14:37, 15 May 2026 | Updated: 14:54, 15 May 2026 A devastated father has paid tribute to his 'kind hearted son' following his death, after the sixth-form pupil contracted meningitis. Sean Walters told of his heartbreak after 'loving' Lewis Walters died in the intensive care unit of a hospital in Reading, Berkshire. He shared photos of Lewis surrounded by his family in an emotional social media post where he remembered his 'funny and social' son. Mr Walters wrote: 'Words simply can't describe the heartbreak and upset we're going through. 'The early hours of yesterday we lost our Lewis. Within a few hours of feeling a bit ill he developed sepsis and was taken from us. 'He fought hard and was really taken care of by the ICU team, but they just couldn't save him. 'If you didn't know Lewis, he was a funny, sociable kind hearted soul. He liked to include everyone and took great joy in winding me and Kate up.' Sean Walters has paid tribute to his son Lewis (pictured) after he contracted meningitis and passed away Lewis (pictured) was remembered in an emotional social media post by his father as 'funny and social'  Lewis pictured with dad Sean, who told of his heartbreak after his 'loving' son died in the intensive care unit of a hospital in Berkshire Mr Walters added: 'He also loved his sisters, friends and family dearly. 'Life won't be the same for many of us now that he's gone.' The youngster's death has left his friends shocked - with his passing sending shockwaves through the village of Henley-on-Thames, Berks. Parents at Henley College received an email explaining the tragedy. One mother said: 'It's come as a total shock to my son and the students. They are so closely knit so it has affected them greatly. 'They are in all in shock to be honest with you. How do you come to terms with this at such an age. It's awful.' Two more college students are being treated at the Royal Berkshire Hospital for meningitis following the outbreak. Lewis's death comes as two other college students are being treated at the Royal Berkshire Hospital for meningitis following the recent outbreak Lewis's death has sent shockwaves through the village of Henley-on-Thames, with parents at Henley College receiving an email explaining the tragedy They attend the Reading Blue Coat School in Sonning, and Highdown Secondary School and Sixth Form Centre in Emmer Green, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said today. Specialists from the agency confirmed close contacts of all cases are being offered antibiotics as a precautionary measure. One case has been confirmed by experts as Meningitis B, but it is not the same strain as earlier outbreaks this year. In March, an outbreak of Meningitis B in Canterbury, Kent, resulted in two deaths and roughly 20 confirmed cases. The UKHSA said that students and parents at all affected schools are being offered information about the signs and symptoms. It added that the risk to the wider public remains low. The principal of Henley College Simon Spearman said: 'The Henley College can confirm that one of its students sadly passed away earlier this week. 'Our thoughts and sincere condolences are with the student's family and friends at this extremely difficult time. 'We are supporting those affected within our college community and are following the advice and guidance given by the UK Health Security Agency.' The comments below have been moderated in advance. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.