Alison Lloyd grew up in the little suburb of Doxey in Stafford, and was in the sixth form at King Edward VI High School at the same time that I was. She was a lovely girl, somewhat shy, and did not stand out among the other girls. She played guitar, and worshipped at Doxey Parish church, and was part of the Young Peoples' Fellowship (YPF) that met in the house of Geoff and Helen Moore, opposite the church. She went off to read Chemistry at York University from 1979-82.
She then moved to Derby where she had family, to take up a job as a pharmacist in the NHS. She joined a bible study group, and became an early member of Community Church Derby. This she attended all her life, and her family are still members. She met and married Peter Cripps, the owner of a small transport business, with a strong testimony and who worked with down-and-outs in Derby. The two of them had a positive effect upon the lives of many people. They had three children: Anna, Heather and Andrew.
Alison Cripps died aged only 46, of breast cancer, on 26th September 2006, in the old Macmillan Hospice in the London Road in Derby. Her remains were cremated at the Markeaton Crematorium on 6th October, and the ashes taken away by the family. Gifts were requested to Macmillan. It is also possible to go to the crematorium and leave flowers at the "wall of flowers".
There is an obituary in the York University alumni magazine, Grapevine. The author of the obituary knew Alison at university. As this file has now vanished, a copy is placed here:
Alison was a sunny, happy girl. She was quite quiet until she knew you - even shy. Geoff Moore once said that she "played her cards close to her chest", and this was true. But if she was here now she would laugh at how solemn this all sounds. She wasn't at all solemn. At home she used to wear marigolds in the kitchen and dance along to the tape of Christian songs.
This page is not intended for her family and close friends, nor to intrude into their lives. But there are people who go through life, affecting the lives of others profoundly; people whom perhaps they hardly knew. Alison was such a person. This page is for the benefit of such people, who may wonder whatever became of her.
Constructive feedback is welcomed to Roger Pearse. Written 20th November 2017.