Good bye, Wendy

Wendy Wilcox in happier times

It is with a heavy heart that I write today's blog post.  As many of you with close links to Symi know, Wendy was diagnosed with throat cancer two years ago, followed shortly thereafter by the tragic loss of her partner, Ged Horton.  Sadly, we now say good bye to Wendy who died suddenly on Saturday afternoon, in the arms of her friends.

The friendly face of Symi Visitor for more than 20 years, she brought many visitors to the island and joy to the lives of countless people, both visitors and residents alike.  In recent years she was also one of the warm-hearted founders of Solidarity Symi, the local charity that sprang out of the refugee crisis of 2015. 

Naturally empathetic, Wendy always put other people first and wanted to make everyone happy. That made her an excellent hostess and event organiser.  The happy couples who enjoyed her services as a wedding planner are part of her enduring legacy.

Her buoyant personality and vivacity were slowly dimmed by the disease that robbed her of her speech and her ability to socialise but she fought on, making the adaptations that living with a life-changing illness imposes.  Spinach smoothies and Greek rice pudding and long walks with her dog, Santouri.  It is tragic that an undetected aneurysm cut short her life and robbed us of the friend and colleague we loved so well.  She will be missed, both on Symi and by thousands of people around the world.