'She was a beautiful soul, both inside and out' - long-standing Sheffield doctor dies after cancer battle
One of Sheffield’s best loved and longest serving doctors has died at the age of 82 - after more than 40 years in the medical profession.
Dr Moira Brimacombe passed away at Weston Park Hospital in November after developing lung cancer in 2023.
Having qualified in medicine at Sheffield University and then training further in psychiatry, Moira worked alongside her late husband Dr Lawrence Brimacombe at Abbey Lane surgery in Woodseats from 1972 until her retirement in 2002.
With both Moira and Lawrence sharing the same traditional values towards patient care, they built a practice which combined high standards of medicine with a caring attitude for both staff and patients across three decades.
Moira’s son Nick described her as a deeply empathetic woman and a gifted doctor who put patients at ease with extraordinary kindness and understanding.
“She was always so grateful for being able to do such a worthwhile and satisfying job to serve the community, whilst having such a busy family life at the same time” said her son Nick.
“She was a wonderful, devoted mother and grandmother. She was someone who loved life and made the most of any opportunities. Full of wisdom and a wonderful listener.
“Her love for travel, photography, art, literature and culture took her to so many wonderful places. She had an inquisitive and curious nature and was always so interested in learning about people and places.
“She was a gentle, beautiful soul, both inside and out, yet she was resilient as well and faced the last years of her life with such courage.”
Moira and Lawrence married in 1972 and lived happily in Bents Green until Lawrence died in 2010.
They had two children together, Jerry and Nick, as well as Joseph, Elizabeth, Alec and Kayte from Lawrence’s first marriage.
“She travelled far and wide right and never let recent health issues hold her back,” added Nick.
“But she was a loving granny as well, equally at home spending time with her grandchildren, aged 38 to just two years old.”
After hanging up her stethoscope in 2002, Moira revived her long-standing interest in mental health and retrained in psychotherapy, working privately as a counsellor until retiring at the age of 80.
“She moved into counselling so she had more time to understand people and their problems in more depth than is possible in the hubbub of general practice,” Nick continued.
Moira’s son Jerry added: “She was always so encouraging of people, always wanted people to reach their best and was full of good advice. We’ll all miss her greatly.”
As a newly qualified doctor, Moira worked in both Jamaica and Uganda before settling into her GP career. From such adventures, she developed a lifelong interest in travel right up until her eighties.
A gifted writer and photographer, she often documented her journeys and was a long-standing member of a local writing group for GPs, as well as The Society of Medical Writers.
Former surgery receptionist Joan Mangle added: “Moira was the loveliest person to have known and worked with. She was not like a boss and always treated me as a friend.”
Moira was buried at Abbey Lane Cemetery earlier this month after her funeral at Hutcliffe Wood Crematorium.