This week: a Labour whip, the man charged with finding the Disappeared, and a best-selling novelist

THE peer Josephine Farrington, Baroness Farrington of Ribbleton, who has died aged 77, was a long-serving Labour whip in the House of Lords known for her occasionally colourful speeches.

She joined the House of Lords in 1994 after a career in local politics in Lancashire and was one of only a few peers to serve on the Labour frontbench throughout their time in government from 1997 to 2010, working for both Tony Blair and Gordon Brown. She was also an opposition whip from 1995.

She joined the government after a career in local government in Lancashire and had a variety of briefs during her 15-year service on the Labour frontbench including women and equalities, the environment, the cabinet office, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Former Justice Secretary Lord Falconer said of her: “She was brilliant in the Lords, the best, most effective whip, above all because she never forgot why we were all there, and what it meant to be Labour.”

Before entering the House of Lords, the baroness had been a Labour councillor in Preston since 1973, and served as chair of the Association of County Councils.

THE civil servant Frank Murray, who has died in his late 70s, headed the organisation responsible for finding the remains of people abducted, murdered and secretly buried during the Troubles known as the Disappeared.

The former senior Irish civil servant had been co-commissioner of the Independent Commission for the Location of Victims' Remains (ICVLR) for more than a decade. The remains of three victims have yet to be found.

Mr Murray began his career with the Irish Civil Service in 1960 and was appointed as secretary general to the Government in 1993 - holding the key position during the crucial period which led to the signing of the 1998 Good Friday Agreement that ended decades of sectarian violence in Northern Ireland.

After his retirement in 2000 he held a number of board level positions with the Public Appointments Service, the Military Heritage of Ireland Trust, the Parnell Society and the Institute of Public Affairs. He was appointed co-commissioner of the ICVLR alongside Sir Ken Bloomfield in 2006.

The Irish Justice Minister Charlie Flanagan said of Mr Murray: "He had a particular commitment to the cause of the disappeared and their families and he never wavered in his pursuit of the humanitarian objectives of the commission."

Sir Ken Bloomfield, former head of the Irish civil service, said the country had lost a great man. He said: "It has been my privilege in recent years to work alongside Frank as a commissioner for the ICVLR.

"His distinguished career in the Irish civil service was in itself notable but in our joint efforts to recover remains he did his utmost to ensure a Christian burial, however belated, for many grieving relatives. It has been a privilege to know and work with him."

THE writer Anita Shreve, who has died aged 71, was a best-selling novelist best known for The Pilot's Wife; she also became a favourite for Hollywood adaptors - The Pilot's Wife, Resistance and The Weight of Water were all turned into movies.

Her novels sold millions, especially after Oprah Winfrey chose The Pilot's Wife for her book club in 1999. The Weight of Water was also a critical success and was shortlisted for the Orange prize. The Pilot's Wife tells the story of a woman coming to terms with the loss of her husband in a plane crash while The Weight of Water is partially based on the deaths of two women off the New Hampshire coast in the 19th century.

Born in Dedham, Massachusetts, Shreve began writing fiction while a high school teacher; she also worked as a journalist before becoming a full-time writer.

In 2014, she spoke about what inspired her work. "It doesn't interest me to write about women who aren't real," she said. "My mother once said, 'The minute I read that a character is beautiful, I flip the book over my shoulder.' It lacks authenticity."