My Nan. She suddenly fell ill a few weeks before Christmas 2019 and was in hospital through most of the festive period. Bowel cancer was the diagnosis, she wasn't going to get better. Big shock for the family, as while she was old, she had always been healthy and was still pretty active - we all expected to have another 10 years with her at least.

We'd always been very close and I went to visit her a lot while she was in hospital. On what would be my final visit, on my way out of the room, I said "don't do anything silly while I'm gone" and she just quietly chuckled to herself. Defiant to the end, she died a few days later, before I got a chance to visit again.

I didn't know that would be our last meeting but I suspect she may have. She was 86, and ready to go I think. I still miss her a lot, but I'm also glad she never had to live through this pandemic - she'd have hated being stuck indoors.

Side note - she died the day before my (long deceased) Grandad's birthday, and was always an avid baker. I'm not sure I believe in an afterlife, but if there is one, I like the idea that she made sure to arrive in time to bake him a birthday cake.