Family Tribute to Sue; read at Memorial Service by Paul. Sue and I had been married for 47 years, so it isn’t surprising that I felt a huge sense of loss when she contracted and then died of the horrible disease, pulmonary fibrosis. She had always been such a central part of our family, organising, welcoming and yes, cooking, for everyone who came to our home. And yet she also played key roles in many organisations away from our home, such as the Pharmacy, the Church, WI, Mother’s Union, Talking Newspapers, and many friendly groups in Henley. Sue was a very keen patchwork quilter and member of the local Cotton Club. And she had friends all over the Country from the many places she’d lived and worked. But most of all she was a family person, very proud of our children and grand-children and always keen to see them make the most of their lives. There is however one person, Chris her elder brother, who has known Sue longer than any of the rest of us. He is unable to be with us in person today as he lives in Western Canada with his wife Cecilie. But Chris, Cecilie, and their children Karin and Jennifer were very influential on the young Sue and as they have written down some of their earliest memories of Sue I thought it appropriate to share them with you today. Though we are all far away, Sue’s sudden passing has brought heavy sadness which remains with us. We always felt welcome in her warm embrace, whether over the ocean via FaceTime or in her presence whilst on visits or travelling together. So much to be thankful for, yet so utterly sad that she is no longer with us. Chris, to this day, remembers the commotion in his home when, at age 8, he was rudely awakened in the middle of the night. He had already been evicted from the box room, his bedroom, where a strange lady had taken occupancy, so he was sleeping in a different place – and now this. His father sternly ordered him back to bed with the comment that “Mum is having a baby”. It made little impression at the time, but at least let him off the hook so he could go back to bed and extract his book from under the pillow. In later years he became somewhat frustrated when Sue interrupted his violin practice by dancing around to his tunes and giving gentle criticism when he played wrong notes. But he started to take more notice of her when Sue got the highest score in the region in her 11+ exams. Cecilie has early memories of Sue visiting them in Edinburgh where Chris did his internship as a doctor. On a sunny day, just the two of them went for a walk and sat down in a huge field of flowers and grasses. Sue composed the most marvellous daisy chain for her. Cecilie had never seen one done nor owned one before – it was just so colourful, inventive and fun – that was Sue. A few years later Sue joined them in Edmonton, Canada – for a student summer job at a pharmacy – when Karin was about 4 and Jennifer only a few weeks old – and they then went on to travel together to Quebec and the Maritimes States. This is when Sue became “Annie Sue”. From the get go she just knew how to keep the children happy. She navigated Quebec for them with her excellent French and she went about every day cheerful, constructive and full of ideas and commentary. Karin remembers Sue packing the car to the rafters in preparation for trips of discovery to village markets and walks and picnics in glorious spots. To this date they treasure momentos spotted with Sue’s eagle eye, such as the little box decorated with merry cows that moo tunefully when tipped on its side. That marvellous creation has been part of their Easter decorations ever since. “You didn’t know how much has happened because of Sue”, says Karin. “She was steadfast, unflappable and knew what speaks to a child’s heart and mind”. Jennifer remembers that Sue had a knack of seeing the funny side of minor mishaps and knowing that most things could be fixed with an ice cream or a day at the seaside. And who could forget Sue’s glorious red feathered hat and outfit at David and Robyn’s wedding – bold and life affirming – that was Sue. As Cecilie put it; “Over the years we have had many, many memorable get-togethers with Sue, Paul, “the boys” and their families. We were always made welcome; everyone pitched in but Sue was the rock, the brain and the heart that kept things organised, doable and fun – whether at home, on expeditions or on picnics. She was happy having everyone around her and just enjoying themselves. She wanted everyone to be comfortable and to share in the joy of company”. “These are such troubled and challenging times for everyone; and to have to bear the loss of Sue on top of it all just seems too much. Sharing thoughts and memories helps but Sue inspired us to go beyond that and to carry on our lives with kindness, humour and heart as best we can. All our love, Chris, Cecilie, Karin and Jennifer.”

Thank you for setting up this memorial to Sue. We hope that you find it a positive experience developing the site and that it becomes a place of comfort and inspiration for you to visit whenever you want or need to.

I am I and you are you, whatever we were to each other that we still are. Speak to me in the easy way which you always used. Why should I be out of mind because I am out of sight? Life means all that it ever meant, it is the same as it ever was.