LOVED ones have paid tribute to a Taunton-born woman who has been described as "adventurous, beautiful, courageous, gentle, and warm-hearted".
Imogen "Imo" Amesbury, affectionately known by family as "Nemo", who was living in her family home in Lyme Regis, Dorset, at the time, died on January 12, 2022.
During her inquest, which took place in Bournemouth Coroner’s Court on August 27 of this year, heard before coroner Rachael Griffin, her loved ones paid tribute to her.
While reading her pen portrait of Imo, her mother, Marie Amesbury, said Imo adored her family and being a big sister.
It was heard that, as a child, Imo loved the Disney film 'Finding Nemo', earning her the nickname Nemo, which her mother said she ended up growing into as she matured.
This was due to Imo’s "gentle, warm-hearted and quietly determined" nature.
According to her mother, Imogen’s strength was ever present even if it wasn’t attention-seeking or loud.
She said: “She was never the loudest voice in the room, but she had a beautiful energy about her that drew people to her.”
Throughout Imo’s life, she formed "many strong and lasting friendships", including her friendship group from school.
She attended Queen’s College, and due to her many talents, she received an art scholarship at age 11.
Alongside art, Imo had a love of English Literature, alongside her sporting achievements, which included her horse-riding and representing the school at national level in athletics.
Her close friend Jasmine-Stanhope-White said that due to their shared competitiveness, they ended up becoming best friends, pushing each other to be their best.
She said: “She has made me the person I am today with her gutsy, ballsy and gung-ho approach. Nothing was ever in halves with Imo.
“She always put in 100 per cent.
“She was wild, loving, caring, giving, erratic at times and very spontaneous.
“She never left anyone out.”
It was heard that, despite having dyslexia, Imo never let it hold her back, and she managed to achieve "excellent results".
Her mother said: “She loved school and actually never wanted to leave.”
Imo was an accomplished horse-rider who began at aged five, developing into a "very capable and courageous rider", according to her mother.
Alongside all her achievements, Imo was described as "very beautiful", something she never wished to be defined by.
Her mother added: “It is important to me that she is remembered as the whole person she was.
“Imo told me how dull she found it that women are simply labelled as beautiful.
“She was beginning to recognise that she was far more than her appearance; she was intelligent, funny, compassionate. She wanted to be valued for who she was.
“She was beginning to recognise her worth.”
Imo had begun working as a stewardess on superyachts, which gave her the opportunity to see the world.
Her friend who she worked with on a yacht, Alex Sawyer, described her as "up for fun, bubbly, chatting and ambitious".
He said: “She loved to travel and meet new people.”
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Her mother said just a few weeks before she died, she crossed the Atlantic to St Martin in the Caribbean during an "incredibly rough three-week passage" and was the only one not to get seasickness.
Her mother said this just further demonstrated her resilience and adventurous spirit.
Whilst in tears, she said: “I had the privilege of watching her grow from that talented little girl we called Nemo to an independent 21-year-old woman.
“Imo was just 21 years old when she died. She had already packed so much into those 21 years, and she should have had so much more time.
“She should have been able to fall in love, make mistakes, change direction, discover new passions, laugh with her friends and grow older alongside her sister Isabella.
“There are no words to describe the deep pain her death has left in our family.
“But I do want Imo to be remembered not only by the circumstances of her death, she was so much more than that.
“She was Imo. A big sister, granddaughter, loyal friend and a young woman with her entire life ahead of her.
“Imo was the gift of my life.
“Sadly, I was only given 21 years with her, but it remains to be my greatest privilege to have known her, to have loved her and to have known the extraordinary woman she was.”
Following Imo’s death, Queen’s College installed a memorial bench in her memory overlooking her favourite place near the art department.
The quote on the bench is from Rumi and reads: “You are not a drop in the ocean.
“You are the entire ocean in a drop.”
Her mother said: “We chose it because it sums up so much of how we feel about Imogen, but also because of the message we wanted her legacy to carry for anyone who may be questioning their own worth during a difficult time in their life: everyone matters.
“Every person has value and importance in this world.”
The Amesbury Art Prize is also awarded every year to talented students at the school to honour Imo’s memory.
A spokesperson for Queen’s College said: “Imogen left Queen's after completing her education here in 2019.
“She was a much-loved member of the Queen's College community, and an award is made each year in her name and memory to a talented art student.”
When making her conclusions, the coroner ruled her death as suicide.
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