Amanda 27th January 2020

Every time I passed through London, Keith and Jeanette were there to greet me. When I was 19 and too cheap to pay for hotels, they would pick me (and sometimes a friend or two) up at Gatwick Airport, house us in Crawley, and send us off to London with a fistful of discount coupons. When I was 28, their hospitality was unchanged, and they would take me to Beachy Head for the day or feed me on my way back in from Brighton. Jeanette was hilarious, generous, and eager to make people feel at home, and I feel so privileged that I had the chance to know her. The last time we saw each other, during her treatment in 2018, she sent me home with one of the porcelain ornaments that decorate her and Keith’s home – a small cat peaking over a sill. I’ve named it Stephens and he’s a constant reminder of the importance of family, across continents and generations. Thank you for everything, Jeanette. You will be missed in so many places and in so many ways. Amanda Perry (Montreal, Canada)