My stepmother, Miranda Lewis-Saunders, who has died suddenly of cancer aged 49, had a career dedicated to public service, working in water treatment, waste management and education.
She was born in Llanelli, to Meriel (nee Lewis), a deputy head teacher, and Raymond Lewis, who established and ran a floristry business from their home, Rosedale Nursery. Though Miranda was born deaf, her mother was determined she should go to a mainstream school, and she excelled at ysgol y Felin in Felinfoel, supported by dedicated teachers and an audiologist, becoming fluent in Welsh and English. She went on to study geology at Aberystwyth University.
Miranda worked for the National Rivers Authority in a water-testing laboratory in 1998, before joining the Environment Agency in 1999 as a waste policy advisor and project manager. There, she met Phil Saunders, a technical manager for waste treatment, who shared her love of travel. Together they visited countries including Nepal, Iceland and Cuba, and had two children, Madelaine and Elian.
