A character never to be forgotten

THE Rev. Paul Daltry said: “Michele was one of those characters that you never forgot. She was so full of life and energy, of love and faithfulness. ''Michele was vivacious, the life and soul of many different groups of people, whether it was at work as a practice nurse, at the tennis club where she often played with her husband Pete, or at church and the many different activities that she was engaged in.

THE Rev. Paul Daltry said: “Michele was one of those characters that you never forgot. She was so full of life and energy, of love and faithfulness.

''Michele was vivacious, the life and soul of many different groups of people, whether it was at work as a practice nurse, at the tennis club where she often played with her husband Pete, or at church and the many different activities that she was engaged in.

“She was very much an Ipswich girl with her parents and family living close by. Her home on the Rivers Estate with Pete and her children, Hannah and Ben, bears testimony to how close they were to each other.

There are photos everywhere, not just of them but of family and friends as well. It is so clear from a journal she kept since her stress-related illness started in January, just how much she loved her family, and how much she was appreciated by so many.

“Michele was someone who was always caring for others. She wanted others to be looked after as her top priority, even at the expense of her health. She focused on people and had little time for all the paperwork and form filling that modern life seems to demand.

“Behind all this was a wonderful faith in Jesus. She drew immense strength from this, particularly over the last few weeks. She dedicated herself to supporting Sizewell Hall Christian Conference Centre, the town pastor scheme here in Ipswich, for small local charity Rwanda Direct and, of course, for her church community of St Luke's on Cliff Lane.

“We are missing Michele terribly, but we also know she is safe with God, her life and love tell us just that.”

It is believed the illness took an unexpected and sudden turn for the worse, which drove her to take her own life.