Sybil was born on the 13th May 1924. She was the younger of two sisters . Her family was poor but she always spoke fondly of her days at Lovell Park Primary School where , as a 5 year old , 39 of 40 pupils in the reception class were Jewish. She was very proud to receive a Governor’s Scholarship to attend Leeds Girls High School when she was 11 and always told us that she was the poorest girl in the school! Sybil later worked for MI5 during the war and , after starting a family , qualified as a teacher. Her last teaching position was as Head Teacher of the Brodetsky Primary School in Leeds. After her retirement she worked for many years in the Crown court department at Howard Cohen and Co. solicitors where she was dearly loved and respected by some very difficult and challenging clients .
She loved playing bridge at a good competitive level and in her younger days played tennis, which is how she met her beloved husband Basil .
She had 3 children, 8 grandchildren and numerous great grandchildren (whose number continues to grow) and her family was always very special to her. She soldiered on bravely to the age of 91 despite many illnesses and operations. We thought she was indestructible and she probably was, because, as the poet said “to live in hearts we leave behind is not to die”.
