Nel died on the 29th January 2009, at the age of 64, within a month of being diagnosed with lung cancer. Nel had always led a fit and healthy life – in 2008 she hiked in Oman, walked Hadrian’s Wall, and completed walks on Offa’s Dyke and the Wye Valley. Her sudden illness, then her death, came as a great shock to family and friends, and her warmth and humour is being sorely missed. Her family, husband Ron, son Jan, and granddaughter Molly have lost a lady of great strength of character. Especially Molly, aged eight at time of her death, who so much enjoyed adventures with grandma, and who may never fully appreciate what a loss of such a resourceful woman will have on her life.