Gill Hyatt

I met Gill at Leeds Uni. over 30 years ago.  She was the year below me but somehow we made friends through J-Soc and we were also  both taking economics  modules as part of our degrees.   Gill was so clever.  We used to chat in the Brotherton library and she would always encourage and help me with my economics course as well as have a laugh with me about one of the lecturers who had a peculiar manner..

After Leeds we ended up in London.  I remember when Gill was visiting my house which I shared with Michele one evening after we had both moved to the big  smoke.   I invited a boy who’d I’d been to school with around for a drink - Richard from Cardiff. He had just arrived in London and had yet to find a social group.   By the time they left our humble home in Hendon they had both agreed to flat share and a lovely friendship blossomed.   This eventually led to Richard marrying one of Gill’s  good friend’s - Vicky.   
We had many connections and friends in common.    I knew many of her friends from Manchester and visited Danielle in The Hague about 8 years ago who I had met through Gill.    We both shared friendships with John Jeffay, Jane Fink and many others.  Everyone wanted to be friends with Gill Cohen.

Gill and I ended up living near one another.  I lived in West Hampstead and I remember her first dating Andy - who was living in Hendon then I think. We had regular evening walks and chats around Dennington Park Road about our futures and dreams and when was the right time to marry!

Gill had a big brain and helped my good friend Richard to pass his accountancy exams.  She coached and mentored him, with kindness and encouragement as studying came so easy to her.

Fast forward many years and children came along.  We both had millennium girls.   Mia in the January and my daughter Ellie in the March.  We used to ‘hang out’, walk and sit with our new babies, drinking tea and supporting each other.   Gill went back to work first and called me towards the end of my maternity leave to tell me that she was really happy to be working again, it wasn’t scary going back but good to use the brain, mix with colleagues and regain a structure.  She encouraged me to apply for a new job, which I did.  She often helped me make important decisions by listening and giving sound and honest advice.

I’ve been friends with Gill for most of my adult years. I was at Andy and Gill’s wedding in Manchester where Simone made the best wedding speech I’ve ever heard.   It was all about friendship/judaism and really resonated with me. They were such firm and loyal friends.

In the past years Gill, Tania, Julie, Michele (all of us from Leeds university) formed a ‘curry girls’ group and we would meet every couple of months to chat, eat curry and put the world to right.  Gill and I shared book recommendations and she introduced me to some fabulous podcasts too.   Our group will continue to meet, to talk and remember our friend Gill but it will never be the same again. She was wonderful company and always interested in what others had to say.   She remembered every conversation from month to month.

I will miss Gill - her wise words, her honest conversations and our walks and private chats.    I feel privileged to have been part of her extensive friendship group.   She had time for all of us.

Gill adored her family and was immensely proud of Zak and Mia.   She also  told me all about her very cool brothers and their wonderful families.   She was devoted to her parents and was so pleased one day when she called up to hear they that they were listening to a lecture on Catherine the Great one evening during lockdown!   

She spoke so highly and lovingly about all of you. You were in her head all of the time.