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Sue Maroroa Jones
Posted: Thu May 11, 2023 11:50 am
by LawrenceCooper
From Facebook today:
Gawain Maroroa Jones is with Sue Maroroa Jones.
45 m ·
It is with great sadness and heavy hearts that we announce that my beautiful wife, Sue Maroroa Jones has passed away.
An incredible and cherished mother of Samaria and baby Daniel, beloved daughter of the late Temu Maroroa and Suee Lee Maroroa, and wonderful sister of Andrew Maroroa, she leaves behind a loving family who will miss her greatly.
Please send your personal memories of Sue to
[email protected]. It would mean a great deal to me and the family during this difficult time.
Thank you for keeping the Maroroa Jones family in your thoughts.
On behalf of the family,
EI TE TI - EI TE TA
EI TE TITI MAROROA WIN
EI TE TITI MAROROA LOSE
Re: Sue Maroroa Jones
Posted: Thu May 11, 2023 12:14 pm
by John Upham
This is incredibly awful news.
I am so, so sorry to hear this.
Terribly sad and dreadful.
Re: Sue Maroroa Jones
Posted: Thu May 11, 2023 2:12 pm
by Christopher Kreuzer
So, so sad. She was only 32. There is a thread on Twitter as well, where condolences are also being left from across the chess world. Thoughts with Gawain and all the family.
https://twitter.com/TelegraphChess/stat ... 9946293249
Re: Sue Maroroa Jones
Posted: Thu May 11, 2023 2:29 pm
by John Upham
There is a steadily growing list of condolences here:
https://www.facebook.com/gawain.jones.1
Re: Sue Maroroa Jones
Posted: Thu May 11, 2023 3:29 pm
by David Sedgwick
There are times when I really don't know what to say, but I'll try.
Sue was a wonderful woman, devoted to Gawain and latterly to their family.
RIP
Re: Sue Maroroa Jones
Posted: Thu May 11, 2023 4:35 pm
by Andrew Zigmond
I'm in shock. I met Sue once when I joined her and mutual friends for a meal during the 2016 Bournemouth British and she was such a lovely person.
There are some things in life that are just brutally wrong and this is one of them. My thoughts are with the family, especially Gawain and her two young children.
Re: Sue Maroroa Jones
Posted: Thu May 11, 2023 4:36 pm
by Mick Norris
That's really sad news
If someone can point Gawain in the right direction to get help that would at least be something practical
WAY
Re: Sue Maroroa Jones
Posted: Sat May 13, 2023 12:53 am
by John Clarke
Just woken up to this devastating news. I'd long since given up active play, so never met Sue, but in her comparatively brief NZ chess career she must have been a terrific role model for women and girls (and Polynesians in general). Kia kaha, Gawain. There'll be many here who are with you in spirit at this awful time.
Re: Sue Maroroa Jones
Posted: Sat May 13, 2023 8:33 am
by Kevin Thurlow
Terrible news.
Re: Sue Maroroa Jones
Posted: Sat May 13, 2023 10:10 am
by Simon Rogers
Very sad news.
My thoughts are with Gawain and his family at this difficult time.
RIP
Re: Sue Maroroa Jones
Posted: Sat May 13, 2023 10:11 am
by Ian Thompson
John Clarke wrote: ↑Sat May 13, 2023 12:53 am
in her comparatively brief NZ chess career she must have been a terrific role model for women and girls (and Polynesians in general).
Her
English rugby club think so.
Re: Sue Maroroa Jones
Posted: Sat May 13, 2023 3:02 pm
by Matt Mackenzie
She died just after having their third child. How awful.
Re: Sue Maroroa Jones
Posted: Sat May 13, 2023 7:11 pm
by Christopher Kreuzer
Second child I think. I remember when she was playing top board for Hammersmith Chess Club.

Re: Sue Maroroa Jones
Posted: Mon May 15, 2023 10:34 pm
by Ronnie Burton
So sad news on somebody so young .
Re: Sue Maroroa Jones
Posted: Mon May 15, 2023 10:42 pm
by John Clarke
The NZ Chess Federation has done Sue proud, with a
full-length tribute on its website.
By contrast, the NZ mainstream media have let this tragic event pass by unremarked. I sent a tip-off to one of our major newspaper companies, citing the Twitter and Facebook links. Surely, I thought, the dramatic nature of what’s happened, and the fact that it involved someone who became so accomplished at a young age in their particular field, might provoke some interest. Not a dicky-bird.
I’ve also suggested to the same organisation that Sue deserves a proper obituary in their pages, which tend far too often contain stuff reprinted from overseas sources about semi-obscure American scientists or other figures of only peripheral interest to Kiwis. (Case in point: this very day, Wellington’s
The Post carries a long piece about some US sprinter who’s also just died at 32.) I’m not holding my breath.