A POPULAR and enterprising woman from the Isle of Wight has lost her battle with cancer at the age of 52.

Julie Lucas, nee Wayman, died of Non-Hodgkin lymphoma on September 26, having kept her illness at bay for 17 years.

A reducing quality of health failed to hamper the desire to retain her quality of life.

Mrs Lucas was born in Portsmouth in February 1967, sharing her childhood with two older brothers, Mark and Paul.

Having spent portions of her upbringing in Fareham and Uganda, Africa, her association with the Island began when she moved to Bembridge aged 12, where she met lifelong friends Sara and Yve.

She attended Forelands Middle School and Sandown High, after which she joined Highbury College in Cosham, achieving qualifications to be a dental nurse.

Having spent some years in the dental industry, she craved a change of direction.

She opened a stall in Camden, London, selling art products, before transferring the business to Golden Hill Fort in Freshwater.

During this time, she and daughter Lucy enjoyed several holidays together, including trips to Spain and Disneyworld in Florida, where they notoriously became stuck on a Buzz Lightyear ride.

She married Jon Lucas in 2011, in the New Forest, and they honeymooned in Morocco.

They subsequently lived together in Carisbrooke and latterly Northwood.

Her brother Paul said: “One of her great legacies is that in all of their time together they lived life to the fullest and have inspired my wife and I to do exactly the same.”

Their wanderlust far from satiated, the couple visited Mexico, where Mrs Lucas swam with dolphins, and Morocco where they rode camels.

Lola, the couple’s beloved campervan, then came on to the scene, providing luxury accommodation at various music festivals, with Rhythmtree their favourite.

Mrs Lucas joined the Wight Ukers, performing at a number of Island events and her own 50th birthday party. She also helped organise an international ukulele event on the Island.

One of her proudest moments was watching Lucy’s graduation in Leeds in 2017, the year of her 50th birthday.

She leaves behind her husband and daughter.

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