Suzanne Dennis, a freelance journalist resident in Sai Kung for about 20 years, has died aged 61. She had cancer. Suzanne was cremated on the first day of the new year, her friend Chris Davis said.
“Suzanne was feisty, straight to the point and didn’t suffer fools gladly,” Chris said. “The tough exterior belied a soft interior.” John Winsor, the Cathay Pacific flyer, said, “The first time I met her she promptly informed me the only reason she was here was because she had a really good boyfriend.”
Suzanne was “an enigmatic conundrum of a person,” John said. “She put on a hard exterior. She liked to do that. At the same time she was a gentle person looking for love and comfort like the rest of us.”
Chris, who also lived in Tai Wan where Suzanne spent most of her life in Sai Kung, said she had great taste in clothes but hid this most of the time. White-haired, she would usually wear torn jeans and a black T-shirt. “But when she went out she really dressed up.”
Suzanne often told friends she was going to write a book called “Twenty Years at the Bus Stop”. This was because she spent countless evenings drinking with friends at “Mr Wong’s Dong”, the dai pai dong at the Tai Wan bus stop.
Asked what he thought of Suzanne, Mr Wong said, “OK la.” This with a small shy smile. It is clear Mr Wong remembers her fondly. Tim Metcalfe said Suzanne was a founder of Mr Wong’s Dong. He described her as “a good considerate friend. A good conversationalist with firm opinions.”
She never married or had children, according to Chris. Her long-term boyfriend, who lived with her in Tai Wan, died a few years ago in Australia. Suzanne was from Melbourne. Her brother John visited Sai Kung immediately after she passed away. “Suzanne was a very private person,” Chris said. “She hated Facebook and Twitter.” Trevor Sanger: “There were two Sues. Granite outside, marshmellow inside.”
As a freelance journalist, Suzanne wrote for The Standard, Asian Hotelier, the Civil Service magazine, Disney, architectural magazines and other publications.
Sad neighbours said Suzanne died in her Tai Wan home alone.
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