From a man who survived Auschwitz to a woman who spent the Second World War living in a converted railway carriage, we have taken a look back at some of the faces from around the county who we have loved and lost in 2023.
Obituaries give relatives a chance to pay tribute to their loved ones, sharing memories and stories that will always be remembered.
Amongst them was Frank Bright MBE, who died at 94 in August. Frank was one of the last Jewish Holocaust survivors.
Frank was sent to Auschwitz at 16. He was the only member of his family to survive the war.
After his liberation, Frank came to Britain, settling in Ipswich, and shared his story with countless schoolchildren in Suffolk and Essex.
“It means a lot to me to be able to tell my story to young people,” Mr Bright told the East Anglian Daily Times in 2019.
Many people in east Suffolk came together over the summer to remember Caroline Page, who died in July after being diagnosed with lung cancer a year previously.
Caroline, 65, represented Woodbridge on the council for 14 years and was one of the driving forces of the Green/LibDem/Independent group that has formed the official opposition at Endeavour House for many years.
She continued working, despite her treatment – and was still reading through council papers the weekend before she died.
We also said goodbye to Ivan Jacobs, a kind and gentle father, grandfather and great-grandfather who was immensely proud of his father’s connection to Sutton Hoo.
Ivan’s father, John Jacobs was second gardener to Edith Pretty during the famous discovery of the Anglo-Saxon funeral ship in 1939.
As a child, Ivan recalled often wandering down to the mounds to see what his father and the archaeologists were doing, and would regale his own children with memories of the dig.
We also shared with you the story of Rose Smith, nee Wells, a London girl by birth who was evacuated to Suffolk during the Second World War.
Rose and her siblings were in the first batch of evacuees to be whisked out of the city, and she found herself living in a converted railway carriage in Homersfield, Harleston, with her new best friend, Reggie.
Her grandson, Robert Piggott, grew up hearing her stories of bitterly cold winters, and leaping into ditches to hide from German planes flying overhead.
After 50 years, Rose and Reggie finally found each other once more, and her family treasure the memory of this emotional reunion.
In Sudbury, the community came together to bid farewell to Barry Wall, who knew more about the town than anyone else. Barry served as chairman of the Sudbury History Society for more than 30 years and wrote books which are now considered ‘bibles’ of the town.
He shared his knowledge generously, fostering a love of local history in younger residents – and is even thought to have once given a talk attended by 10,000 people.
Finally, we shared with you the story of David Underwood, a dedicated Felixstowe Town Councillor who would often say that, while he may have lost his sight, he had not lost his vision.
Although he suffered from poor eyesight all his life, his taste for adventure could not be suppressed, and he loved to travel as a young man, even spending time living amongst monks in Greece.
David worked tirelessly to give as much to his community as possible and was delighted to join Felixstowe Town Council in May.
If you would like to have a tribute to your loved one in 2024, contact: abygail.fossett@newsquest.co.uk
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