Joanne and I ‘met’ virtually when we were about 13, 1963, as pen-pals; Enid and my mother arranged it not knowing they were setting up a lifelong friendship. After several years of teenage sharing, Joanne came to London in 1967 to do a course at Froebel Institute in Roehampton, not a great success as far as I know. When missing home she would bring chaos to my families’ tiny kitchen making chocolate chip cookies, unheard of then in the UK. The great success was the life we had out and about in London at that time. Most weekends she would appear and off we would go to sample the delights of that unforgettable world of adventure, music, parties, ‘happenings’, which were kind of art/drama/music events, and shopping for clothes in the markets like Portobello Road. Most of our adventures are best not repeated but we saw bands such as The Doors, Jefferson Airplane, The Byrds at open air concerts and the Roundhouse. We were soulmates. Then Eel Pie Island and our ways divided.

Over the next 50 years we stayed in touch and often met when she visited. There were some bizarre requests for things she couldn’t get in the USA: toothpaste, ear plugs and Ovaltine. I started sending 6 packs such was her need for Ovaltine. The last time I spoke to her the day before her operation, she reminded me she had just finished the last jar!

In 2017 after her first serious illness, I visited her at her beautiful home that she shared with Clyde. The idea was to stay for a couple of weeks to help her convalesce, and get her walking again. In typical Joanne fashion she made it a proper holiday, she had a unique way of living well, which could get her into trouble at times. An extract from my diary ‘Sat on the porch and had breakfast with Joanne in the sun. Then later out to Longboat Key searching for the public beach access amongst all the millionaires’ properties (she has a map with house numbers indicating the tiny car parks for the public). Found a beautiful beach almost deserted, white combed sand, azure sea with pelicans diving. Lay there for a while then walked along, more sitting and chatting, then on to Santa Maria for late lunch at a lovely restaurant overlooking the sea. Ate crab cakes and grits, coleslaw and fried green tomatoes, and there were margaritas. Sunset when we came back.’ Each day the pattern was repeated, going to different beaches; sometimes she walked a lot, sometimes less. Often, we would finish off with shopping in what are called consignment stores (for clothes of course). It was an unforgettable and perfect time.

She was a master at keeping in touch with her friends, many who were separated by the world and her demanding life. She was very loved. Her adored children were far away from her, so she had to learn to keep close from afar. Her last world tour was in 2019, when again she managed to see many of us in the UK. Recent words to me were ‘We don’t get long’, referring to our age! She certainly packed in as much as she could into her time! She will be sadly missed.