THE daughter of a York novelist has died after battling a rare cancer.

Susan Wise, whose late father York-born Arthur Wise wrote The Day the Queen Flew to Scotland for the Grouse Shooting and Who Killed Enoch Powell, died on May 29, aged 61.

The family moved to Malton when Susan was one and later to South Esplanade, in York, along with with her sister Julia and brother Christopher.

She studied at Great Ayton Friends’ School and later Marygate School where she showed an aptitude for textile and the arts.

She studied graphic design at London College of Fashion and Central St Martin’s College of Art and Design.

Her career included making costumes for the Cospop company when she worked on the Star Wars films, making Stormtrooper costumes.

She later became a lecturer at the Central School of Speech and Drama and also worked at the Tate Art Gallery and the National Gallery.

Her sister, Julia, said: “Cholangiocarcinoma, cancer of the bile duct, is a very rare, silent cancer. She was so brave.”

Her mother Nanette said: “Susan was very vibrant, very lively and very loving. The funeral was a celebration of her life and was filled with flowers and perfume and colour. That is how we remember Susan.”