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Obituary: Steve Crane

It is with a sad heart that I have to write this. Steve passed away on 30 December 2019.

He had struggled against illness for some time until his enormous energy ran out and it was time to say goodbye to this world. I first met Steve on the first day of the first Diploma in Medical Laboratory Management course. He was teamed up, perhaps not so fortunately, with me, Christine Cranmer and Dianne Smith. From that point on we had a lasting friendship. He was a man of many sides: Hairy Biker with matching beard, liked beer, wine, port and had a zest for life that got him to the top of many things, including mountains.

Above all else, Steve was a family man devoted to his wife Ann and their three children, Megan, Bryony and Bethany. He started work at the West Middlesex Hospital, beginning his career there in 1973 and then on to Watford General Hospital, the QE2 Welwyn Garden City and he became manager of the histology department at the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital where, towards the end of his career, he did many incredible feats of skill and dexterity to get sections from impossible specimens. He was a “Mister Fixit” for many people with his calm manner and boundless enthusiasm for his work. He was the same in life: kind, thoughtful and generous to a fault. He pushed the boundaries in many areas of his life, most notably in cooking his cuisine, sometimes being a gastronomic adventurer. He was our brother in and outside of pathology and did so much more, being founder member of the London Management Group. Fix-it in work, fix-it at home and when faced with the challenge of not being able to buy what he liked he just made it. He had, at home, the best ”shed” ever, with tools to do any job. Could you imagine a five star camper van made by a genius? He loved life, walking, mountaineering, motorcycling, food and cooking with his favoured barbecue method and travelling in his camper van with his wife and children. A friend, a colleague, a man of intellect and broad thought that filled your time and drove your imagination. There was no other like him. We shall miss him more than words can convey.

Jerry Cox- Friend and former colleague 

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