Ann Covell, Chairman of Costa del Sol Branch of Conservatives Abroad I was in Washington, D.C. at the time of Margaret Thatcher´s death and funeral and thought I would be grieving for this great lady all alone. This was not to be. Within minutes of going into the lobby of my Hotel on the day the news broke (it was early morning there), I was instantly inundated by members of staff who offered their commiseration and condolence over the death of Mrs. Thatcher. I was very touched and filled with pride that they sought me out to pay their respects. Within a short period of time, guests began to approach me, having I suppose been alerted by the staff that I was British. They spoke to me of how much they, as Americans, appreciated the tremendous support and friendship of Mrs. Thatcher to the U.S. people. They admired her greatly and I was surprised by the number who continued to admire her, so many years after her retrement. A number expressed their continuing surprise that our Parliament had voted against her continuation as Prime Minister. Many applauded her massive efforts during the Falklands War, and stated that her courage and tenacity at that time was a big lesson to many leaders of that era, while others remembered her great work with President Gorbochev and the "communist situation. All felt that she and President Reagan had been important players in the decline of the European communist influence. My British spirit was certainly lifted during those days as I realised the deep affection of the American people for our former Prime Minister."