Obituary: Kim Quiddington. Good Friend, Morse Fan and a Wonderful Person.

Kim and I had been friends for some 10 years. She was  a great supporter of my website and Twitch stream. She loved the Morse series but loved the Lewis series more because it had her favourite actor in the lead role, Kevin Whately.

Below is a video of the full service of Kim’s funeral plus scanned images from the service programme. Also below are photos of Kim plus a video of when she co-hosted my Twitch stream.

I have transcribed what was said at the service regarding Kim’s life in the event that you will find watching the service too upsetting.

Please leave comments on your thoughts about Kim.

Here below is the transcript but if you wish to watch the service then scroll down.

“A story of Kim’s life. Kim entered the world on the 14th March 1962, born at Bethnal Green Hospital in London. From those early days growing up alongside her siblings, June, May and John, Kim showed a blend of intelligence, determination and a wonderful sense of fun that would certainly define her during her entire life.

Her journey through education took her from London Fields to primary, Hackney Free, Kim excelled there. She was a senior prefect and won numerous awards and prizes for her schoolwork. her secondary school gave her something far more valuable than academic awards. It was there that she met her very good friend, Kim Pickup.

The two of them formed a bond that lasted the test of time. Remaining close friends her entire life. As a sister Kim was always full of life and personality. May fondly remembers a childhood memory of Kim taking her along to see Leo Sayer in concert. Perhaps an early sign of Kim’s lifelong love for live music. Back then may recalls, Kim’s bedroom was a wall of a perfect time capsule the era. Proudly plastered with posters of Adam Ant, David Cassidy and Christopher Reeve as Superman.

It was during these same London years that Kim’s persuasive streak first showed itself. Spotting an advertisement for John of Jerusalem in South Hackney, recruiting for bell ringers she managed to drag her sister June along as well. June wasn’t too keen a t first but once the two sisters realised the bell ringers regularly visited the local pub after practice, their commitment skyrocketed. They both became incredibly keen bell ringers, proving that Kim always knew how to find joy and camaraderie  in any activity.

John also has great memories of Kim especially when he was a teenager growing up in Yeovil. Kim still lived in London which John thought was the coolest place anyone could live. He went to visit her a few times and she took him to the cinema in Leicester Square. This was to see classic eighties comedy, Plames, Trains and Automobiles. Kim had already seen it more than once and laughed really loudly all the way through. She kept stopping to say, ‘watch this bit John it’s really funny’ over and over nudging him before the punchlines were even delivered. John didn’t get to hear much of the actual film but he did get to see Kim crying with laughter. A memory that perfectly captures her infectious sense of fun.

After leaving school, Kim would become what would become a remarkable career spanning well over forty years. This was with the Ministry of Defence. And because Kin signed the official secrets act none of her family and friends really knew what she did. She kept those secrets perfectly. What they did know, without a shadow of doubt, how intensely proud and conscience Kim was regarding her work. She served her country with a quiet dedicated loyalty that commanded respect from everyone around her.

Her dedication didn’t go unnoticed when as a teenager she skipped school to meet the Queen and Prince Philip on their visit to Hackney Town Hall. Years later her journey cam full circle when she was officially invited to Buckingham Palace for the Queen’s Garden party as a very formal thank you for her incredible services to the M.O.D.

Kim’s greatest adventure began in the 1990s while working at the MOD offices in Huntingdon. It was there she met Mike. And on the 17th January 1996 they welcomed Louise into the world. Becoming a mother was Kim’s ultimate pride. She was fiercely proud of Louise, always deeply invested in her life, her triumphs and her choices. That immense love expanded even further when Louise gave birth to Oscar brought a whole new excitement to Kim’s life.

Before she became ill, Kim thought nothing of the very long journey from Bristol to Huntingdon travelling frequently just to get hold of her grandson and to see Louise and George (Louise’s husband) and shower them with love. In the early 2000s Kim transferred to the MOD offices at Abbeywood and settled herself here in Bristol. She absolutely fell in love with the city fully immersing herself in it’s rich culture and live music and all that it had to offer.

Living in Bristol also perfectly fed one of her absolute finest passions, Wallace and Gromit. Over the years became a master collector amassing over 55 ceramic figurines. They proudly took over half of her flat taking over shelves and windowsills. It brings such a smile to know so many of those cherished pieces are displayed here today. They act as a perfect visual reminder of Kim’s fun loving heart.

Kim was also deeply hooked on the television series, Inspector Morse. While many loved Joh Thaw Kim was always firmly a bigger fan of Kevin Whately. When the spin off series, Lewis started in 2006 she was absolutely overjoyed. She took her love for the show on the road visiting many of the famous filming locations around Oxford.

Kim didn’t just watch the show she connected with people through it and in 2015 she started the Lewis/Kevin Whately Facebook fan page. She remained a keen passionate supporter of the Morse website. Her dedication as a fan paid off for her as one of her absolute favourite and most treasured photos is a wonderful picture of

herself standing alongside Kevin Whately.

Kim’s life was continually enriched by the people she drew towards her and in 2011 while holidaying on the Isle of Wight she met Andrew Dent. Andy shared her deep, deep love of cats and bell ringing. That was all that was needed and they became very close personal friends. Together, Andy and Kim filled the last 15 years with days out, weekend breaks and holidays. They shared an immense love of the theatre, the cinema and so many live concerts.

Kim loved the energy of live music, singing along with the crowds to see  Take That, Jamie Lawson and Calum Scott and it was incredibly fitting that her very last concert was to see, Will Young at St George’s in Bristol in December 2024 doing what she loved best, basking in the music, culture and wonderful company.

Kim was a woman of proud service, absolute discretion and brilliant fun. She was a prize winning student, a dedicated sister, a hard working professional , a passionately supportive mother, a doting nanny and loyal friend. She filled her windowsills with models, her community with connections  and our hearts with beautiful memories and we will miss her deeply.

Rest in peace, Kim.”

 

Next we have Kim co-hosting my Twitch stream.

 

Up next a few photos.

Firstly, Kim with Anton Lesser who was starring in the play Two Popes, 2022.

Kim with our friend Lesley in Oxford.

A few photos from the Twitch live stream.

Below is the full video of Kim’s funeral service.

 

Up next is a collection of clips from 2022 when I, Kim and Lesley live streamed from Oxford.

I will miss you, Kim. Thoughts and prayers to her family and friends.

Please leave a comment about Kim. Thank you.