Joan was born in 1917, a year before the end of the First World War. She was born in Clapham, a few weeks prematurely, and we were always led to believe that this was as a result of a bombing raid. Joan was not expected to survive her traumatic birth and she suffered from epilepsy during her childhood and early adulthood. She clearly defied all expectations having lived to the age of 93! Joan’s father, Bill, was a shipping insurance broker at Lloyds. He was not in service during the war as he was 43 by the time Joan was born. Her mother, Marie, was a milliner. Joan had 2 sisters: Ruth, my mother, who is now 89, and Anne, who was the youngest who died 7 years ago. The family moved to Godalming when Joan was about 5 living in Grosvenor Road. Joan went to boarding school at St Hilary’s, in Haslemere. Her father was a classics scholar with a great passion for books and classical music which Joan shared. As children the family were frequently summoned to sit and listen to the records played on the gramophone, and were not allowed to talk during such ‘concerts’. Joan clearly continued to share her father’s love of music throughout her life. Joan did well at school – my mother describes her as the clever one. After leaving school she went to secretarial college in Liverpool where she leant to take shorthand and to type at impressive speeds. After completing her course Joan moved back home to Godalming and her first job was with the department of work and pensions. During the second world war she had to issue call up papers, not something she relished. She moved onto working for the Epilepsy association, firstly commuting up to Oxford Street and then much later in Crowthorne. Joan continued to live at home with her mother after the death of her father in 1954. They moved from High Lanes to a house they had built in Braemar Close at the top of Holloway Hill. She was a keen gardener and much preferred this to any type of indoor housework or cooking. I remember her as an excellent builder of bonfires in the garden! Every year my mother took us to stay in Godalming for a summer break and both my brother and I have very fond memories of our stays there. After the death of her mother in 1974 Joan moved into a flat in Filmer Grove. Maybe as a result of her wartime experiences Joan was very interested in human rights and was an active campaigner for nuclear disarmament. She was a lifelong Guardian reader and was a keen follower of politics, actively supporting the liberal party. Joan was also an ace patience player and up until quite recently could often be found on all fours setting out the cards on the floor for a game! At family gatherings she was often to be found standing in the middle of the kitchen asking what she could do to help. Her membership with the Society of Friends was a cornerstone of her life and I know a great support to her. If I had to think of a word to sum Joan up I would describe her as a great pragmatist. She seemed very self sufficient and enjoying listening to music and reading. She decided when she felt she needed to move first into a sheltered flat and then into a nursing home without any prompting. She was always delighted to see visitors and to visit, but made very few demands on one. She always enjoyed a good debate. Following a fall a few years ago when she fractured her wrist and had to be in hospital for a while she took great pride in making the most of the no smoking rules to give up completely. She also made a remarkably quick recovery following more recent quite major surgery, surprising me when I visited the next day by being in the process of getting out of bed and demanding I find her stick for her. Mostly Joan put up with illness with very little complaint, although she particularly struggled with having to socialise before breakfast with when she needed more help. The last few months became increasingly difficult for her. With her eyesight failing she lost her ability to immerse herself in the newspaper to keep up with world affairs. She also found it too difficult to continue to attend the friends meetings, and I know missed this enormously. I am glad that she is now at peace.