Susan Seaman (6 Jan 1955 - 28 May 2026)

In loving memory of my wonderful wife Sue Seaman, who went to be with Jesus on 28th May 2026.

Sue was the eldest of three children. Both of her brothers had severe learning difficulties and Sue herself suffered with Epilepsy until she reached the age of ten. She struggled with school, was late in learning to read or write but went on to become a prolific writer of short stories and poetry.

Sue and I met in 1973 when I was a young Engineering apprentice and Sue was learning her admin and typing skills at the same company in Romford, Essex. We first had that 'look' between us one Friday lunch time at a local pub, where all the young people at that company gathered each week. We went out on our first date that evening on 1st April 1973. We chatted all evening and discovered we had much in common. Date led to date and dates led to engagement in August of that year. We both knew were meant for each other and were married in the May of 1975. We were both just twenty years old.

A few short months before our wedding day, Sue had found a tiny lineage advert in the local rag, for a little house for sale in Maldon. It was priced at about half of the going rate for a small house at that time, so we excitedly drove to look at it. It was an old wreck of a house - but affordable. We bought it and spent every penny we had and every waking hour renovating it. We moved straight in the day after we were married.

Years later I remember Sue's mum telling me that Sue was the most unlikely person to want something as old and broken as that house. She said that Sue was too used to 'home comforts' and she said to me "It must have been love, Malc." It was.

We had our first child Emma, whilst living in that little house. Four more house moves and two more children to come - Matthew next and then Darryl. Matthew, we discovered also had severe learning difficulties. So tough, for Sue to endure. But endure she did and she loved all three of our children with an unrelenting love and became a proud grandmother of four beautiful grandchildren.

Only in our late sixties did Sue start to show any signs of poor health. But shortly after we had both turned seventy, Sue was diagnosed with a problem with her kidney function. She was hospitalised twice in a few months and during the investigations she endured some very invasive biopsies to her spleen and into her pelvis, all without a moment of complaining. But one dreadful day, whilst Sue was still in the hospital I was taken aside by the consultant to be told they had discovered cancer - Lymphoma. I was totally devastated. I took the option I was given to tell Sue myself, rather than let the doctors do that. And as usual, Sue bore the news with her usual positivity. She was always so much stronger than me.

Sue endured the very aggressive chemotherapy treatment over the next twenty-odd weeks and we were in raptures when the consultant told us that after only two cycles of chemo, the cancer was gone! The chemo was continued to complete the whole treatment and we were rejoicing that she was cured. But then just a short time later she fell ill again, and we were advised that her heart had been badly damaged by the chemotherapy itself.
How cruel!

Sue passed from this life into the presence of her Saviour on Thursday 28th May, just four days after our 51st wedding anniversary. Sue's heart failed and mine was completely broken, as have been the hearts of all of her family.

Mine, my children's and grandchildren's sole comfort is that Sue, after so much suffering, is now out of pain and safe in the arms of Love.