Although Susan was born in Highgate, she grew up in Swanley, Kent. She went to the local comprehensive school, crossing fields to get there. It was at school that she developed a love for sewing, running up anything from clothes to curtains and furniture coverings, and cooking.

She joined the Civil Service direct from school and worked in Central London at the time when the 1970’s terrorist campaign in England was at its peak. She would hear the bombs exploding and sometimes felt the shock as one went off a little too close for comfort.

One evening, a group of friends, who all worked in the same building, met up to go to a disco being run by the Civil Service Social Club. When they got to the ticket clerk, Eric joked that the girl behind him was paying for both of them… and without missing a beat, Susan stepped up and handed over the money. They were inseparable for the rest of the evening, but the general consensus of all in attendance was that nothing would come of it.

They were an unlikely pairing, Susan enjoyed dancing to Tamla Motown music, while Eric liked nothing better than to sit and listen to progressive rock music. She had ambitions of domestic bliss, while he had no intention of settling down.

Despite these differences, the rule of “opposites attract” came into play, Susan’s beauty and magnetic personality drew Eric in and he soon came to realise that a life of domesticity with Susan had a lot going for it, so after a two year courtship, and to everyone’s surprise, they married at St Mary’s, Shortlands, on 22 April 1978, and honeymooned at Woody Bay in North Devon. Susan used her domestic science skills to great effect by making her own wedding dress and baking their three-tier wedding cake, which her dad expertly decorated.

Their first home together was in London, then Feltham, before moving to Farnborough in 1981, to the house they shared for the next 36 years. Susan put her own stamp on each of them, turning them into bright comfortable homes, to be enjoyed, rather than showpieces.

Once settled in Farnborough, Susan left the Civil Service and worked first for the City of Westminster, then for Rushmoor Borough Council, in Farnborough.

At the beginning of 1987, Susan and Eric’s first child , Daniel, was born, and two years later, their second child, Charlotte came along.

Susan was a natural mother, dedicating herself to their wellbeing, taking an interest in what they said and did, encouraging them, occasionally gently steering them back in the right direction when they drifted off course, and always with love and affection.

When Daniel and Charlotte went into Scouting, so did Susan, first as a helper, then as an Assistant Cub Leader, not hesitating to go off to camp with a pack of unruly children, and equally mischievous adult leaders. Susan had a reputation as something of a dormouse, she could sleep anywhere and at any time, including, on one memorable occasion, on a pile of bags in the open air, while everyone else was setting up camp.

Not that camping always went smoothly – there was a time that Susan, Eric, Daniel and Charlotte went off to the New Forest for a few days and pitched their tent on a nice, even patch of grass. Early the next morning, Daniel announced loudly that the airbed he and Charlotte were lying on was floating, only to be told not to be silly, be quiet and go back to sleep, but his protestations continued and, only then did Susan and Eric realise that they had pitched the tent in a large dip in the ground, which was the ideal place for the overnight torrential rain to collect and form a small pond!

The outdoor life didn’t stop at camping, there were also the long walks in the country, with Eric demonstrating his, less than perfect, map reading skills. The children enjoyed scampering around when they were little, but became less keen as adolescence drew near.

Susan’s unstinting generosity with her time led her to volunteer at the children’s primary school, first as a parent helper, then becoming an active member of the PTA, then, not satisfied with all that, becoming a school governor.

Such was her presence at school that she eventually joined the staff, as a Special Needs Assistant in the school’s language unit, where at times it could be challenging, because some of the ten and eleven year olds were taller than her and it took firm resolve to maintain discipline.

As Daniel and Charlotte turned into teenagers and then young adults, Susan and Eric found they were able to go off and do their own thing occasionally and discovered the Yorkshire Dales, where they returned to time and time again, always staying at the same farmhouse and spending the days exploring the Dales and Moors and, in particular, the tea shops and restaurants that were tucked away in the most unlikely places. Returning home from one trip, Charlotte was at home, clearly bored and with nothing better to do, as she kept calling our mobile phones for progress on our journey and we had to keep cutting the calls short for fear that she would discover that we had an additional passenger in the car – we needn’t have worried, because Alfie, our new puppy sprocker, stayed fast asleep on Eric's feet all the way home.

Susan and Eric became members of the National Trust and would often be found wandering around historic houses and gardens and, of course sitting in the tea shops.

They shared a love of beautiful gardens and, as members of the Royal Horticultural Society, would regularly wander round Wisley and, you’ve guessed it, stop off in the restaurant for cake and a cuppa. Over the past couple of years, Susan would often arrange for the use of one Wisley’s mobility scooters and would promptly switch it to the highest speed setting, leaving whoever was with her, struggling to keep up. Of course, the scooters couldn't go everywhere around garden, but that didn’t deter Susan from trying. It wasn’t just Wisley Garden they visited, wherever they were in the country, they would seek out local gardens, big or small, to stroll around.

They also became regular theatre goers, enjoying musicals and seeing pop and rock groups from their youth appearing at local venues.

In recent years, Susan took an interest in paper crafting and avidly followed her favourite TV presenters on the specialist crafting channels. She enjoyed going to craft shows and workshops and meeting up with fellow enthusiasts, eagerly learning and developing new skills, all of which were put to good use when helping with the wedding plans for Daniel and Hannah (two years ago) and Charlotte and Graham (later this year), designing the invitations and coming up with lots of creative ideas. She was also able to help choose Charlotte's wedding dress. Although Susan won’t be at Charlotte and Graham’s wedding in person, she will be there in spirit and in our hearts.

Another activity, that kept Susan busy was shopping. The phrase “shop ‘til you drop” must have been coined by someone witnessing her prowess. If shopping was an Olympic sport, she would have been a gold medalist many times over.

Just before last Christmas, Daniel and his wife, Hannah, presented Susan and Eric with their first grandchild, Hugo. Susan had been waiting for this day from the moment that Daniel and Hannah announced they were expecting. Susan and Eric were immediately bewitched and besotted by this gorgeous little bundle of joy.

Susan’s outgoing personality meant that, wherever she went, she made new friends, easily and openly, but there are those whose unconditional love, friendship and support, spanning many, many years, made them special and brought them close to our hearts.

Susan was completely selfless. While others fretted over her wellbeing, Susan never complained about her illness; there was never any self-pity. Her concern was only with others, even to the end.

People have described Susan as inspirational, for the pragmatic way she dealt with her illness, never letting it get her down and for getting the best out of any situation. We will remember her simply as the best wife, mother, grandmother and friend anyone could wish for.