Book of condolences - Lou Alexander
It is with great sadness that we announce the death of our colleague Lou Alexander, a long serving member of our Digital Technologies team, having worked at NTU for 10 years.
The University understands how difficult it can be when we lose someone close to us. We have opened up this online book of condolence to bring together tributes for Lou.
If you would like to offer your condolences or pay tribute you are invited to leave a message on this page.
Colleagues recall the first day they met Lou when she arrived for her interview with Information Systems. They talk of her warmth and enthusiasm during their walk to our Barnes Wallis building. At that point it was clear Lou was going to be a leading candidate for the role.
Lou became an incredibly valued member of our team, caring passionately about doing a great job and doing the right things, going above of what was expected of her. Lou would always be willing to volunteer for activities in order to make her department and NTU a better place.
Lou will be dearly missed as a colleague and a friend.
I had the pleasure of working with Lou closely on a particular contract over this last year and she was a huge help. I'm so shocked and saddened she is gone, she will be missed by so many people at NTU, rest in peace Lou x
Posted by Fiona Austin, 15 Jun 2022
Utterly devastated and shocked to hear the very sad news ☹.
Lou was one of the nicest work colleagues you could ever meet. We worked on clearing together for the last few years and it was a great joy.
My heart goes out to her daughter Sophie who was her world. And to all of her family.
Rest in peace Lou and shine bright xxx
Posted by Sam Johal, 08 Jun 2022
In the short time I knew Lou she never failed to add a burst of positivity to the room. She was always smiling and there to help with whatever you needed. She was a truly kind soul and always thought of others before herself. I will miss her enthusiasm and kindness. My thoughts are with her family and friends. Rest in peace Lou.
Posted by Jaz Osborn, 31 May 2022
I worked with Lou for several years when I was working with DT. She was so supportive and helpful, such a pleasure/lovely colleague to work with. I will miss her so sorry to hear this news. My condolences to her family.
Posted by Jennifer Henry, 30 May 2022
I will always remember Lou with great fondness, she was just a lovely, lovely person. Lou was extremely competent, personable, always willing to help and go above and beyond. She was an absolute diamond. Please pass on my very sincere condolences to her family.
Posted by Denise Windmill, 27 May 2022
Lou was not only one of my admin buddies, but also a tram buddy for many years. Lou always went out of her way to help within the admin network. We had lots of chats and laughs on our travels to and from work, and more recently on teams calls, especially about our daughters. I will really miss Lou and my thoughts are with her family, especially little Sophie.
Posted by Helen Kiernan, 26 May 2022
I didn't know Lou very well, but on the odd occasions that our paths did cross, Lou came over as such a lovely , helpful, genuine person.
I was shocked and saddened when I heard the news and feel so desperately sad for Lou's family and friends.
I know you will be much missed Lou x
Posted by Claire Brown, 26 May 2022
I only had the pleasure of working with Lou a couple of times, but even then I could tell that she was such a friendly and caring soul and was always happy to help anyone. Rest in peace Lou, you will be missed by many xx
Posted by Hayley Austin, 26 May 2022
So shocked to hear the news about Lou. Although our paths rarely crossed, when they did you could always guarantee a smile and help in abundance from her. RIP Lou, you will very much be missed x
Posted by Zoe Cobb, 26 May 2022
I am very saddened to hear this shocking news. Lou was always there for the Payments Team to help resolve queries, extremely helpful. Rest in Peace Lou. We will all miss you at NTU.
Posted by Sanjay Anand, 26 May 2022
I felt so shocked and upset when I heard about Lou passing away. I worked with her for many years and she was always kind, hyper organised and a hard worker that always went the extra mile. I can’t even imagine how anyone could explain to her daughter that her Mummy has gone to heaven.
One of the best memories I have of Lou was when a delivery guy farted right next to her and she managed to keep a straight face. I still don’t know how she managed it!
Rest in peace Lou xxxx
Posted by Louise Nightingale, 26 May 2022
My role meant that I worked with Lou and this was a lovely experience. The news that we have lost her precious soul has come as a huge shock to me.
Lou was absolutely great and amazing and excellent at her job, she was brilliant as a person, really helpful, genuinely interested in making processes better and I'm sure that she would be greatly missed. My warmest condolences to her grieving family.
Posted by Jennifer Okegbe, 26 May 2022
I remember when my role changed to include Digital Technology - a former colleague commented something along the lines of - "One big plus is you've got Lou Alexander and she is really very good". They weren't wrong, Lou was fantastic to work with, nothing was ever too much trouble, she was so conscientious, keen to help and get things right. I was so shocked to hear of her passing and feel such sorrow for her family. Rest in Peace x
Posted by Hannah Sanders, 25 May 2022
Lou took the minutes for the project board that I chair. She was always a smiley and positive presence in the meetings. My sincere condolences to her family and friends.
Posted by Rebekah Smith McGloin, 24 May 2022
This is such sad news - Lou was such a lovely person and was always so friendly and helpful.
My thoughts are with her family and friends at this really difficult time.
Rest in peace Lou.
Posted by Lizzy Verrall, 24 May 2022
I was simply stunned to hear the sad news of Lou's passing. She was an integral part of NTU DT Team, and I will miss her high work ethics and tenacity to do a great job alongside her very caring and helpful nature.
My heart goes out to her family in particular her daughter who was her world. x
Posted by Zoe Brewin, 24 May 2022
Lou was a lovely person and a great colleague. I could always rely on her to give me good advice. I will miss her. I hope the best for her family, particularly her daughter Sophie.
Posted by Anthony Jordan, 23 May 2022
It is a huge shock to have lost Lou so suddenly. Having worked closely with Lou for 8 years I know how much she loved her job and took huge pride in doing her best and going over and above what was expected. Lou was a force of nature at work and nothing would get in the way of her doing a good job and helping those that needed it, DT won’t be the same without her. I feel lucky to have had Lou as a line manager, she was kind, caring and had a great sense of fun, I will miss her greatly.
My heart goes out to Lou’s family, rest in peace Lou xxx
Posted by Lucy Brown, 23 May 2022
Lou was such a lovely person. Always friendly and kind, and always happy to go out of her way to help with anything and everything that she could.
I hope her family can take some small solace in knowing how respected and appreciated she was in her work - and how much she will be missed by so many people.
Posted by Mark Bassett, 23 May 2022
Like others, I was simply stunned to hear the sad news of Lou's passing. A very positive person who always offered up ideas to make things better.
Deepest sympathy to the family.
Posted by Mark Pearson, 23 May 2022
Lou was a real 'go to' person who could be relied upon to help out.
So shocking to hear of her sudden passing and my thoughts are with her family.
Posted by Ruth Taylor, 23 May 2022
I was lucky enough to work with Lou from her very first day in DT, firstly as a peer and then as a line manager. She was one of the most positive and kind people I have ever met. After 20 plus years at the University I can sometimes be a little cynical, but Lou always sought the good in any situation and despite many challenges in her life she remained sunny. She got so much joy from doing everything to the best of her ability and her job meant the world to her, as did her family. I really hope that wherever she is now she can see how loved and appreciated she was. It would mean the world to her. Rest in peace Lou, you so deserve it. xxx
Posted by Samantha Herbert, 23 May 2022
Lou was incredibly supportive and kind to me when I joined NTU. Nothing was ever too much trouble and she’d always find a way to answer my questions (no matter how simple or complex they were!) and always with a smile and a reassuring word. I’d always look forward to speaking to Lou because we’d spend time talking about our daughters, who were of a similar age, and I could tell the pride she felt whenever she spoke about her little girl Sophie.
Lou was a joy to work with, but more importantly she was a compassionate, kind and genuine soul. It’s truly heart breaking to know her family have lost her so soon. May she rest in peace.
Posted by Pri Alagoda, 23 May 2022
I didn't personally know Lou but I wish I had, given the comments from other colleagues. She sounds like she had a really 'positive, thoughtful fun loving and helpful approach in life, and the world can certainly benefit from having more Lou's.....gone too soon but I trust she will be guiding her daughter through life in a different way and I'm sure she'll take her mums values and be a great person. May God bless them both.
Posted by Craig Riggs, 23 May 2022
I was lucky enough to know Lou, She was warm and friendly and was always there for you if you needed any help.
Lou will be missed by many but will always be in our hearts and memories.
With deepest sympathy to the family.
Posted by Ali Collings, 21 May 2022
Lou was one of the kindest and most helpful people I have ever met, always willing to look for and help with solutions to any problem I could pose, whether it was work or home. Lou was always cheerful and always took the time to listen and talk, such a gentle and kind person. My heart goes out to her family, I hope that they can find some small comfort in knowing that Lou was loved and will be missed by so many.
God bless you, Lou x
Posted by Jacqueline Tyler, 20 May 2022
I had the pleasure of being Lou's Line manager for the last couple of years. I soon learnt that 1-2-1's with Lou were going to be different. Lou always ensured we had time to focus on my wellbeing before discussing Lou. We couldn't move on until Lou was sure my world was ok.
Every Monday morning, first thing I would receive a 'Happy Monday, hope you had a great weekend!' And on Friday 'Yippee its Friday!'.
We used to talk about her daughter, Sophie, a lot. Lou was so excited about Sophie starting primary school, looking forward to her starting the next chapter in her life.
I will miss her support, compassion and the desire to the best job she could, whatever the task.
My thoughts are with Lou's family. Best Wishes, RIP Lou x
Posted by Chris Ward, 20 May 2022
You will be greatly missed, you we're so helpful, friendly and attention to detail. Rest in peace.
Posted by Dean Scaife, 20 May 2022
I knew Lou for as long as she worked at NTU. She was quite simply a wonderful human being and I will greatly miss her.
Posted by Bruce Harrison, 20 May 2022
A very kind lady who was always willing to help. She will be very sadly missed.
Posted by Alexei Lambley-Steel, 20 May 2022
I am still a little stunned that Lou has gone. I really hope she knew how much she was liked by everyone. She was one of the most loveliest and kindest people I have met. She went out of her way to help and was always so calm and reassuring, and made light of everything. She took the minutes for most of my project baord meetings, and was unbelievably supportive. I will really miss her. My thoughts are with her family, especially her little daughter Sophie. Lou told me about losing her own mum when she was 12 years old and the struggles she faced at the time, and yet she finished school, went to college, and then got her degree and I hope that when Sophie is older, that she is able to know her mummy’s story and take some comfort from knowing that she was the kindest soul, and an inspiration. RIP Lou x
I’ll finish with a funny message Lou sent me from the last board minutes that she took that was recorded straight to transcript:
“Hi Sharan
I hope you are ok I forgot to send you two funny transcript mis-recordings which were funny from the SDS Steering Board -
"That's probably the three main. Matebook bears, I think"
"The mouse got hand up so he came straight man."
"Yep fair to say transcripts are not quite there yet and thankfully robots have not yet replaced me!”.
Posted by Sharanjit Rathbone, 20 May 2022