Staff at independent Suffolk charity, St Elizabeth Hospice, have paid tribute to long-time hospice supporter Sue Marshall who died aged 65-years-old on Friday 5 August.
A familiar face to many throughout the Suffolk community, Sue, who lived in Ipswich, helped raise over £10,000 for St Elizabeth Hospice through her creating of the poignant Material Memories service.
Through Material Memories, Sue used her fantastic creativity to hand craft memory bears made from the clothes of loved ones for hospice supporters to purchase as keepsakes, while she had also generously given her time freely as a hospice volunteer since 2017.
After launching Material Memories in 2019, Sue sewed nearly 500 bears, all of which were unique and served as a special reminder of loved ones no longer with us. During this time she even hand crafted limited edition Platinum Jubilee bears, each bear featuring a unique number and authenticity certificate, to mark the Queen’s landmark year. With the 52nd bear being sent to Buckingham Palace as a gift to Her Majesty to celebrate her milestone.
Pauline Donkin, head of individual giving and supporter care at St Elizabeth Hospice, said: “Sue has been an extension of the hospice team for many years. Her needlework skills were second to none and she created hundreds of unique keepsakes which matter so much to so many families and in the process she raised a phenomenal amount for the hospice.
“I think one of the times I was most impressed, was the family of memory bears she made that all had leather waistcoats made out of motorcycle gloves, each featuring various chapter motif’s on the back.
“Sue had painstakingly unpicked the gloves to be able to make them, as she was so keen to deliver the wishes of the family that had ordered the bears.
“Since being part of the hospice, Sue became a part of so many crafting groups and I know she will be missed by so many but she leaves a wonderful legacy to all that she met.”
Sue passed away at St Elizabeth Hospice on 5 August surrounded by her family and loved ones, after a brave battle with cancer.
In Sue’s memory, her family have created a tribute fund where memories of Sue can be shared and donations can be made to support the hospice – https://suemarshall.muchloved.com/ – and a celebration of Sue’s life will be held later in the year at the hospice.
Sue’s brother, Simon Rudge, said: “Sue was at her happiest doing her craft bits for the hospice, she had a lot of pleasure in giving back to others, it showed in the attention to detail on all the bears she made. My wife and I were so pleased that Sue was able to spend her last few days in the comfort of the hospice I know this would have meant a lot to her.”
St Elizabeth Hospice Chief Executive Officer, Judi Newman, said: “The St Elizabeth Hospice family is saddened by Sue’s passing and we send our deepest sympathies to her family.
“Sue was a fantastic hospice supporter for many years, tirelessly working to raise both awareness and funds for the charity, for which we will always be very grateful for.
“Her Memory Bears touched the lives of so many families during difficult times in their lives, with each bear being unique and made with love, she leaves an incredible legacy which is testament to the kind and generous person she was.”
To donate towards the Sue Marshall tribute fund, please visit https://suemarshall.muchloved.com/.