Sonia Mary Litten (11 Aug 1937 - 7 Sep 2017)

In loving memory of Sonia Mary Litten who sadly passed away on 7th September 2017 aged 80 years.

Sonia was born on 11th August 1937 in Gander Green Lane, Cheam to Stan and Connie Page.
She had a brother Don who sadly passed away aged only 43, leaving his, much loved, wife Jill and children Jo and Mike. Sonia had an amazing affinity for children and enjoyed many happy hours with Jo and Mike.

Connie developed breast cancer resulting in a mastectomy and Sonia nursed her until she died aged just 57. For nearly 3 years she looked after Stan until he, suddenly, passed away aged 61.

She met Bill Litten through work and they married in 1977 and went to live with Bill's mother Nellie. As well as enjoying their pets, Bill and Sonia maintained a local allotment where they grew many things including very tasty vegetables!

Sonia loved all animals and had several pets, some of whom were rescued from unhappy situations. On leaving school she wanted to work with animals, but her father had other plans for his daughter and she trained as a typist. For many years she worked, as a copy typist, for Henry Waddingtons an Epsom based company.

In 2001, following a fairly long illness, Bill died and it soon became apparent that Sonia, due mainly to poor investment advice, was about to lose her home of 24 years. Along came Pat and Tony who, coincidentally, were house hunting and, after frantic sessions with solicitors etc, were able to buy the house and so Sonia's home was safe.

As mentioned earlier, Sonia loved being with children and loved to see Tony and Pat's children, grandchildren and great grandchildren! She was very involved with their grandson Harry and they shared a special bond that was a real joy to see.

Sonia and Pat shared their love of animals, gardening and trips out and were frequent visitors to local garden centres. Tony and his son John owned a company that sub-contracted to BT installing video conferencing equipment all over the UK and beyond. Sonia had rarely travelled further than Surrey so Tony often took her on trips to Scotland, Ireland, Wales as well as many places in England. Sonia loved these trips and marvelled at the beauty of much of the UK.

Sadly, as a result of years of heavy smoking, Sonia developed COPD and also suffered from osteoporosis and osteoarthritis. By 2010 Tony was Sonia's 'unofficial' carer and in 2015 both he and Pat were officially recognised as carers.
In 2014 Sonia was admitted to hospital on 3 separate occasions with severe chest infections always requiring oxygen as well as other medication. Tony successfully applied for the introduction of home oxygen therapy and Sonia never again went to hospital as an in-patient until her death.

In February 2015 following a routine chest x-ray, Sonia was referred to the Royal Marsden in Sutton and she was dignosed with breast cancer.

In February 2016 Sonia met Vina who was Tony and Pat's Care Support Worker. This sparked an almost instant friendship which endured until Sonia's passing. Sonia and Vina shared many interests, including pets, and they spent many happy hours chatting as if they had known each other for years!

Following various medications, Sonia was given intensive Radiotherapy in October 2016. This treatmemt literally knocked her off her feet and she spent the next 6 months mainly in her bedroom. In May of this year a stairlift was installed and this 'transformed Sonia's life. She was, once again, able to go up and down stairs without fear.

In June the Marsden discovered that the cancer had spread to a lymph gland and Sonia decided that she didn't want any more 'toxic' treatment and just wanted palliative care.
On her 80th birthday, following a biopsy on another lump, Sonia was told that she had another 'very aggressive' tumour and would need Radiotherapy as surgery was not possible.

On Monday 4th September Sonia was informed that it would not be possible to give her Radiotherapy. This was a bitter blow!

The following morning she was visited by the district nurse and later by her friend and hairdresser Julie, who gave her a trim. This boosted Sonia's spirits and that evening she ate a good size meal. The next day (6th), Sonia was rushed into Epsom Hospital where,sadly, she passed away the following day with Tony at her side.

Although she spent many years caring for others and, in her latter years, endured a lot of pain and discomfort, Sonia
rarely complained and remained stoical to the end. She was much loved and is sorely missed.