Estate agent Sylvia Chapman dies aged 90

Mrs Chapman was born in Brighton in 1912, one of 16 children. Educated privately, she attended commercial college before starting work as an estate agent.

When a bomb was dropped on Pelham Road, Seaford, in 1942, and two assistants were killed, Mrs Chapman stepped into the breach and worked for St John Smith and Son for 17 years.

In 1959 she established her own estate agency in Church Street, Seaford, which she ran until her retirement in 1987. Her business was then sold to Stephen Newberry.

Mrs Chapman married and had a daughter, June. She leaves three grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren. Always independent, Mrs Chapman loved swimming and would regularly bathe in the sea at Seaford, only reluctantly abandoning this when she reached the age of 87. She was also an enthusiastic member of the Eastbourne branch of the Soroptimist Club for 35 years.

She moved to Leicester in 2000 to be closer to her daughter, although she continued to live independently. 'I shall always remember my mother's zest for life,' says daughter June Thompson.