Alexis' mother, Rosalind and my mother, Pat Singer, were friends before Alex, Richard or my brother and I were borne. Both our mothers were widowed when we were all young children. I came to know Alex during the mid 1950's from Christmases spent together and from a holiday in Bournemouth. That holiday sticks in my mind because Alex, who was around 9 years old, was obsessed with a bat and ball game called Jokari which we used to play endlessly on the promenade causing a nuisance to other promenaders. When Alex was 18 she suffered her first nervous breakdown and from then on throughout her life she was plagued with this horrible illness. She spent periods of time in the hospitals around Barnet receiving treatment for her problems. My mother and I used to visit her in an effort to give her some support in those dark times. From what I can remember, Alex did have some happy times in her life but they were few and far between. Life was a struggle for her. When my mother passed away in 1999 Alex made a huge effort to be at the service - it was a big challenge for her but she did it. After that I always had a birthday card and my husband, Harry and I always had a Christmas card from her. We used to talk on the phone from time to time and she was interested to know about our dogs and always asked after my brother Ron. It is indeed very sad that Alex is no longer with us. I sincerely hope that she will now find the peace she so deserved during her life but never quite found. Jill