Obituary: William Wise

William Wise: Enjoyed his morning coffee

Described as a quiet, gentle and intelligent man, William Wise had made the commute from his home in Notting Hill, west London, to Liverpool Street station for 10 years.

Mr Wise was one of several people who died in the number 30 bus bombing in Tavistock Square after being evacuated from the underground and seeking an alternative way into work.

The 54-year-old had grown up in Berkhamstead in Hertfordshire, the son of a GP. His mother died when he was young and he suffered from epilepsy.

An IT specialist at Equitas Holdings in St Mary Axe, near Liverpool Street, Mr Wise enjoyed a morning ritual of visiting the Leonidas Belgian chocolate shop at the station.

He was such a lovely guy Narisa Monopoli

There he would meet a small group of acquaintances and sip a double espresso, before completing the last leg of his journey on foot. It was something he had enjoyed doing for seven years.

Narisa Monopoli, the former owner of the shop, said: "He was such a gentle, gentle man. He would sit on the high chair in the corner and chat to a group of corporate lawyers who also came in every morning.

"He never had a bad word to say about anyone, he was such a lovely guy.

"He was married once but lived on his own. He never spoke about his private life, just small captions. He said he was married and that was it. No detail."

Like clockwork, Mr Wise always arrived at the shop at 0830 and stayed for half-an-hour, she said. So he must have been running late that day to be caught up in the bombings.

He once joked with her that he had probably caused a bomb scare in the past by leaving his bag on the train after having an epileptic fit.

Mr Wise, who enjoyed following football, is survived by a brother who is a banker, another who is a neurology lecturer, and a sister in Canada.