"We have remained firm friends ever since.
"I will miss you Christine and will always cherish the happy times we shared together."
After opening a greengrocers with her mother when she left school, Mrs Hewitt moved on to Garibaldi Fisheries in 1972, where she worked as a fishmonger with her uncle, Tony Jensen, in Bevan Street for more than 20 years.
Her family said: "With a strong work ethic her whole life, she loved working with people and interacting with customers which is why she excelled as part of a sales team in shops and businesses."
After marrying John Bonsall, in 1976, they built their own house in Oulton Broad, where they raised their children James and Helen.