Sir - I was sorry to see the obituary for Denys Dyer (April 18).

One of the endearing things about him was his happiness. As a very part-time tutor in German at Exeter College, many years ago, I would hear him singing as I climbed the stairs to his study: he would sing as he sat at his desk, loudly.

And what could be nicer than to be a Fellow of an Oxford college? He obviously knew that.

Irene Gill, Oxford