One of the great good fortunes of my life was that I met Sue on my first day as a student at Keele.  We shared a maths class in the first year and I suppose that it was from that I had the first of many invitations for coffee in the room that she shared with Chris Harvey (nee Ainsworth).  A small group of friends coalesced during this period and we shared Sue's ready wit and intelligence - a very happy period.

Sue was one of those who helped me stay together as my mother died in the early part of our second year - ever ready for a bit of a chat. So the 4 years passed and then we went our separate, xmas message punctuated, ways for too many years. 

A few years ago, Sarah and I knew that we would be holidaying not far from Montgomeryshire and I suggested that Sue and Laurie might meet us over a meal.   One hears of such attempts to rekindle friendships failing to ignite but in our case the years slid away. That day, and subsequent meals, showed that Sue had lost nothing of her humour and sharpness.  She could have taken on many a stand-up comic with her scorn for some of today's political class.

53 years is a long time to have known somebody.  The small consolation of now is that the 53 years duration means there are memories.  Sue disliked mawkishness - the memories are good ones.

Dav (more formally, John Davnall)