Susan Baxter (21 Nov 1950 - 24 Mar 2022)

In loving memory of Susan Baxter who sadly passed away on 24th March 2022
Sue was born on 21st November 1950 to Win and Fred Brown. She grew up in Maybush with her older brothers and sisters June, Audrey, Barbara, Evelyn and Malcolm. She was a lot younger than her siblings and was spoilt by all of them; there were of course the normal sibling rivalries, but her brother Malcolm was always on hand to stand up for her.
The family grew up in a happy home and Sue used to often tell stories of family holidays where she had to sit in the back of Fred’s work van and couldn’t see anything until she got there.
Sue attended Aldermoor Junior and Infants schools and then moved up to Millbrook secondary school, where she was a bright student who excelled at French and English but was useless at Maths and science. She was a model student and went on to win a trophy for her public speaking and became head girl in year 5.
After leaving school she attended the Girls Grammar 6th form college for a year before starting her first job at Barclays Bank International as a foreign transfer clerk.
It was during her time at college that she was on a night out with friends at Bannister Bowling Alley. Unbeknown to her a young man by the name of John spotted her that evening, and as luck would have it, ended up sitting next to her on the bus home. For John it was love at first sight and so he took the opportunity to start chatting to Sue and asked her if she would like to go out the following night. Well she said yes and that was the beginning of a very happy relationship.
Sue and Johns love for each other blossomed the more they got to know each other, and when Sue fell pregnant they were more than happy to tie the knot, which they did at Southampton Register office on 15th February 1969. It nearly didn’t happen though as Sue was late, and John was just about to give up and go to the pub, when she arrived with 30 seconds to spare.
Sue and John started their 53 year marriage living with Sues parents, and it was here that their first daughter Louise was born in June 1969. Having a young baby the couple secured a council house in Weston, but they were soon on the move as Johns job took them to many different towns, but it was in Petersfield in March 1972, that their family was complete with the arrival of their second daughter Angela.
In 1972, the family returned to Southampton as John has secured a job as a postman, and here they were able to buy their first house in Hythe, thanks to Sue being slightly economic with the truth to her bank manager when applying for the mortgage, and they stayed in the Southampton area until 2002.
John remembers when they lived in Hythe, the regular phone calls when some of her earlier cars broke down, including when the gear stick of her Hillman Imp broke off in her hand. Perhaps her frustrations with her old cars led in later years to her colourful command of swear words and hand gestures when she was cut up on the roads by other drivers.
Back in the south Sue took on a number of part time jobs to help the family make ends meet, one of which was as a caller in the Bingo hall in Shirley, getting the role as her speech and diction was so clear, and she also helped as an assistant in the local under-fives playgroup where she became a “Tufty Club Leader” where she taught children road safety.
But Sue wanted to better herself, so she went back to college in the evenings to take classes in typewriting and accountancy, obtaining an O level and RSA qualifications.ì
With her new skills she became a book-keeper for several second-hand car dealers at which she acquired , after tutoring, skills at “hiding” some transactions from the VAT men, making herself a very sought after employee for other car dealers in the area.
She also enjoyed a spell as a tutor in the training department at Homebase DIY stores and John will always remember the time she turned up at Southampton train station with a very large and heavy BBQ that she had won in a competition, whilst in London with the company.
In 1984 she decided it was time to go full-time as a civil servant and joined the local office running the YTS scheme, and when this department closed, she joined the department of Industrial Tribunals where she worked her way up to team leader, leaving after 16 years when she and John went to run their own gite business in the Dordogne France at the start of 2002.
They had visited Northern France on a previous holiday where John remembers her leading them out of the wrong door in a French hotel which meant they were locked out and had to trek right round the complex in the rain to get back in, leaving the receptionist bemused.
Sue was the driving force behind this project, making it into a successful business with people coming from all over the world, year after year to stay there.
Sue and John lived for nearly seven years in the small wine making village in the Dordogne where they converted a large but old farmhouse into two dwellings, one in which they lived and one that they let out to holiday makers. Sue was very popular in France because she spoke virtually fluent French and often accompanied English speaking ex-pats to hospitals and official appointments to help them with the lingo. In the village she was well respected for her command of the language and joined the committee of village fetes .
Sue and John sold their gite business and house after four years and built a brand new house dead opposite their old house, on land they purchased from their French bank manager.
But Sues daughters had grown up and had grandchildren Maddy, Francis, Katy and Sam, and it was the longing to be more involved with her grandchildren that formed the main reason for returning to Chandlers Ford in September 2008, before moving to Mosaic close 7 years ago.
In 2008 upon returning to the UK she worked as a shop assistant for Marks and Spencer in Winchester, eventually taking charge in the fresh bakery section of the store, but nothing gave her more pleasure than helping out with her grandchildren particularly at Irish dancing Feis time when she became well known to many on the circuit as a Grannie feis, helping both Angela’s daughter Katie and Louise’s children Maddy and Francis. Many was the time she would travel to Somerset or the Home counties helping out.
Sue was dedicated to her family and would go to the end of the world to help them. Sue would get up early and travel every weekday to take Angela’s two children to school and she dedicated hours to bringing up her grandchildren who she loved dearly. She did have another love though, and that was for her cats. Over the years Sue and John have had 14 of them including two that lived over 19 years.
In her spare time Sue joined the Hedge end Bowls Club where she was a very popular member, mainly because she never took it too seriously. She wasn’t a great player, but neither was she a bad player either and she formed great friendships at the club because of her easy going attitude. She was simply great company to be with.
Music was also a big part of Sues life, she introduced John to the wide range of bands that she enjoyed and would have the radio on at home all day. But it wasn’t just at home they enjoyed music, they would also go to gigs and over the years have seen The Hollies, The Beautiful South, Crowded house and the manic street preachers to name but a few.
Sue and john also loved travelling and had some fantastic holidays with family and friends, especially with her great mate, Pauline and her husband Dave.
She and John visited diverse places over the years such as Australia, Singapore, Hong Kong, Bali, Kenya, all over Europe and her favourite Spanish island of Lanzarote. She loved exploring the places they visited, but when she did find time to relax would be happy with her nose in a good book, she loved to read.
She also loved trips away and socialising with lifelong friends Ruth and Andre, and newer but strong friends Jean and Ray, and Rod and Linda. Sue made friends easily everywhere she went, with her smile, her laughter, her wicked sense of humour and her lovely ways, You just fell in love with her.
Sue had been in good health all her life so the whole family were devastated to find out 2 years ago that she had cancer, and her struggle was made doubly hard when she had a major stroke just after the start of her treatment for the primary cancer.
Sue had to slow down, but she fought the cancer so bravely that it was only in the last month that her health deteriorated rapidly, and she was taken to the Mountbatten Hampshire Hospice where she fell asleep for the last time with John, Louise and Angela by her side.
Sues legacy to you all, is the family that she will always be a part of the love she shared with you all and the wonderful memories you have of her.
So, remember her for the determined, kind and generous lady that she was, and treasure your memories of her forever.