Susan Patricia Kean (13 Aug 1962 - 17 Nov 2021)

In loving memory of Susan Patricia Kean who sadly passed away on 17th November 2021.

Sue was the first of Pat and Fred’s three children. She was distinctly thoughtful, independent and creative from an early age. At the age of two, she worked out that mum and dad gave her linctus for her cough and so she decided to get the bottle and drink it by herself. Poor mum and dad rushed to have her stomach pumped. At about the same age, she invented left and right. On holiday in Spain, she decided to go exploring. The resort was almost brought to a halt in a (successful) search. Sue never lost the tendency to wander off, her own children having to search for her repeatedly while on shopping trips.
First in Kent, the family moved to Grimsby where Sue went to school until going to Manchester University in 1980. There was never a more unlikely accountant, but her many talents meant she excelled at her management and accountancy degree.
Sue moved to Leeds to continue her training after graduating, lodging in a shared house on Burley Road. Among the house mates was her partner-to-be, Jim. After a few months of becoming friends, the relationship blossomed into love.
Sue and Jim agreed that he should change career, a decision that took them to London. Sue became a chartered accountant, and moved to the firm that became PWC.
The couple married in 1986. Two years later, they had moved to the Epping Forest area and Elizabeth and Ellen arrived. In 1990, Rebecca came along; 1992, Joseph; 1994, Isaac.
The family had excellent childcare so both continued careers. Sue gravitated towards the world of insurance companies, and how they managed their capital.
The Loughton house proved too small and the family decamped to Stisted, near Coggeshall and Colchester, to live in a renovated farmhouse called Brooks Farm.
John arrived in 1997, whereupon Sue told Jim that was definitely enough.
Sue was seconded to the financial regulator and was instrumental in establishing the huge changes occurring at that time. Sue subsequently gained a role in the risk function at Norwich Union (Aviva).
Holidays were generally spent in Lyme Regis and Bewdley, although there were fabulous trips to other places; among them were Cornwall, the Lake District, New Zealand, Canada, Cyprus and Corsica.
2005 to 2013 had happy times, the family moving into a beautiful house in Coggeshall. However Sue and the children were faced with Jim’s addiction illness, and there were extremely difficult periods. Her strength, resolve and reserves of love were incredible. Ultimately, she dragged Jim back from the edge.
In 2011, in the midst of the problems, Sue was diagnosed with early stage breast cancer, which led to an operation, hopefully to prevent any spread.
And yet her career continued to forge ahead. This was when she became Chief Risk Officer firstly at Friends Provident, then at the larger Old Mutual PLC.
2013 marked a turning point. Sue organised Jim’s rehab in South Africa, Ellen married Richard Mills and gave birth to the first grandchild, Roxanna (Sabrina came along in 2015, Damian in 2018). Sue decided that the commute to the City had become too much and the family moved to a penthouse next to Canary Wharf on the Isle of Dogs.
In many respects, the time thereafter was the happiest of Sue’s life. Her many abilities came together at Old Mutual. Work was immensely challenging, intellectually rewarding. It allowed her to travel the world, especially to South Africa. Jim was able to be her partner fully, the family healed, and her children found their way in the world. And she felt truly at home, living near to the City, especially so after moving to the house on the river where Bermondsey and Rotherhithe meet.
Sue and Jim walked everywhere, usually at speed. In 2017, Sue decided to become vegan again, as she had been at university and in her early 20s When she started to lose weight, all were sure it was because of exercise and diet.
During the 2018 holiday to Seattle and Vancouver Island, Sue felt that she had pulled a muscle in her ribs, probably from running at a ridiculous speed down a mountain. On her return, she went with Jim to have the yearly post-cancer treatment check-up, but which had not occurred for almost two years because of the pressure of work. The scans and blood tests showed metastases, and breast cancer tumours in her ribs, hips and spine.
Somehow, it did not seem real to her. Sue continued to work in new roles with old colleagues from Old Mutual, having completed the ground-breaking break-up of the Old Mutual Group just before the news.
She still walked everywhere at the same speed, while coping with the after-effects of chemotherapy trials.
And Sue became a director for a number of firms, working because she truly enjoyed the challenge, and the company of good people.
The 2020 start of the pandemic meant that Sue and Jim ended up working not at home but being together in the same City office. Unfortunately, in July, Sue was found to have brain tumours after a seizure. Treatment slowed the growth, and Sue remained extremely active. There were joyous trips to Rome and Berlin. At the end of 2020, Sue helped Elizabeth and partner Andrew at the birth of Jason, the fourth grandchild.
Only in May of 2021 did the treatments finally slow her down, the chemotherapy affecting the nerves in her hands and feet. The treatment could not go on beyond August, and there were no more options available.
In September, the family celebrated Rebecca and Stuart’s wedding. In October, Jim and Sue embarked on a visit to Bruges followed by the twelfth trip to Berlin.
A few days later, many of Sue’s past colleagues, friends and family gathered together for a celebration of the remarkable impact she had on so many people. Sue was intensely happy.
It was now clear that her decline was accelerating. The family drew even closer in the ensuing days, with Sue showing everybody profound love.
Sometime early in the morning of the 17th of November, wrapped in Jim’s arms, Sue slipped away.