A former meals on wheels driver who “always had a smile” on her face has died, writes Nazia Dewji.

Susan Richens, who worked for Surbiton care home Newent House and delivered meals to residents living in care or alone, died in hospital, aged 67, after contracting septicaemia on June 21.

Her niece Kellie Pocock said: “She always had a smile. She was quite mischievous and when she got with her siblings there would always be mucking about and pranks played.

“There was more than one occasion when Sue unplugged full freezers and forgot to plug them back in resulting in mammoth cooking and eating sessions.

“She also convinced me, when I was 15 or 16, that her car had a sensitive windscreen. I didn’t realise cars had timers on their windscreen wipers and she told such a convincing story that I honestly believed the car counted raindrops and every time it reached 100 they would swish.

“My mum and Sue would sit there going 99... 100 as the wipers went over... fooled me for a long time.”

Susan, an identical twin, was born to parents Gladys Richens and Thomas Richens in Chessington.

The family, including Susan’s twin Ann, and their other siblings Jeanette, Teddy, Tommy and David, moved to Kirkuk in Iraq for their father’s work, but the family later returned to Romney Road in Chessington where Sue lived out her life.

Speaking of her mother and Susans’s similarities, Mrs Pocock said: “Sue and Ann went to school at Moor Lane and Chessington Girls’ School where they would swap subjects to help each other.

“The teachers didn’t know because they were so alike.”

She said some of her fondest memories of her aunt included day trips to the seaside, Chessington Zoo and having a bite to eat in Tolworth before heading out to the shops on a Saturday.

Susan who was a keen darts player and loved animals, did not marry or have any children.

She leaves behind 14 nieces and nephews.

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