This is a sad time for us all but we, as a family, would like to celebrate the life of a truly inspirational lady. We know that it was mum’s wish that we should not be too sad as reflected by her wish for the funeral to be colourful in dress and in spirit. This, due to our loss of a wonderful lady, will be hard to achieve, but, as in mum’s words,  “ you can’t do better than your best..”.

It is said that you cannot choose your family and even if this was a possibility, we could not have chosen a more perfect lady to show us the true beauty of what it is to be loved and needed. There are many examples of the gentle ways in which mum guided and raised us, her family, to see the best in life: her tireless energy, and the way she would always notice the small things that we did as children – always encouraging us to grow, explore the world and question things that we didn’t understand. As a grandmother, mum excelled. It was always a pleasure to nostalgically watch her replay with our children those wonderful times that we had experienced ourselves – sitting in bed reading a story in the morning, playing games that she didn’t really understand and showing how impressed she was with even the smallest achievements. To see how much our own children lit up in her presence was truly magical. Mum would always make time for her grandchildren and, as many grandparents do, always had ‘a little something’ for them every time they visited.

Mum’s pride in her family could also be seen in the way she excitedly accepted her role as mother in law without reservation and made these new additions to the family feel and believe that they were her own children. This could frequently be seen when she telephoned us, often spending over half an hour on the phone and ending the call without feeling the need to talk to her own children. It is also said that you find a great woman behind every great man. I have no doubt that this is true in our family as mum not only shared her life with her children and grandchildren. She did indeed share her life with a great man.

Dad and mum made the double act that, without each other, the recipe would not have worked. It was fabulous to see the love that they shared, even though at times mum would show mild disapproval when dad used more words than was necessary to tell a story – quiet comments like “ok, get to the point” were often followed by a quiet look of disapproval if he didn’t take her advice. It is funny moments like these that we as a family will cherish. Mum was not the quietest of mum’s when it came to telling others of her family’s achievements. Her pride in us was often expressed in the way a child would try to hold on to a secret – knowing it isn’t totally ok to tell someone but bursting to say something  – often mum couldn’t hold on to her comment - much to our embarrassment.

Mum was a graceful and dignified lady. She always presented herself with style and this was something that remained with her to the end. It is true that mum had a love of charity shops and could not walk past one without buying something, but it was rare occurrence when she could not locate a designer label or find two or three pieces that looked stunning together..! Recently, mum found the wonder known as Ebay and no doubt, if this discovery had been made earlier, the postman would be on first name terms with mum and be invited for tea every so often. Such was mum’s ability to make friends. Her eye for a bargain was such that she coined the phrase “… you couldn’t make it yourself for that..” which has now become one of those sayings that is used frequently by family members– often causing others to give you a curious look. Mum was a person who didn’t make acquaintances – she made strong and lasting friendships with those who were blessed by being part of her wonderful life. She didn’t allow class, age or race get in the way and always sought to see the person within. It was values such as these that drew people to her.  It was also such values that were often her gifts to us, her family.

When mum was diagnosed with her illness 4 ½ years ago, the news was devastating to us all. To say that mum was not scared by the news would be untrue. However she faced her illness with a strength and determination that could only be described as inspirational. This allowed us all to face the time ahead with the passion to seize every moment and make the best of every day – mum did not talk of regret or focus on the question of ‘when’, she faced her illness and the subsequent treatment with courage and grace – using it as an opportunity to make more friends and try to make the lives of those she met, during treatment, more comfortable.

Even during the most difficult days of her illness, she rarely complained and tried to keep her own needs secondary to those of others. It was a very sad time for all of us during the last few weeks of mum’s life. However, it was a time where we as a family were able to keep strong for her and allow her to live with the dignity and grace that had been the hallmark of her life. It was comforting for us all that mum was able to pass away, at home, on a sunny Sunday morning without pain or suffering.

Mum was truly a beautiful, elegant and funny lady. It is with sadness for our loss, but pride and appreciation that we thank God for the gift of her life, and allowing us all to share in it.

Rest in Peace Mum.

About the Eve Appeal:

Ovarian cancer is called the silent killer. But you can help us to change that.

Every year over 7,000 women across the are diagnosed with ovarian cancer. 5,000 of them will die. That’s a death rate of over 70% - similar to the survival rate for breast cancer.

With statistics like these, being diagnosed with ovarian cancer is likely to be devastating. And this news affects not only women themselves, but their family, friends and other loved ones as well. But there is real hope for the future.

The Eve Appeal was set up to save women’s lives by funding groundbreaking research into gynaecological cancers. Our current and most urgent aim is to raise the last £5 million required to complete a world class research programme at University College London which aims to find techniques that will halve the death rates from ovarian cancer within 10 years. The programme includes the largest ovarian screening trial in the world.

It’s an ambitious target, but we are making excellent progress and with your help, we have a real chance of achieving it. Each year, around one million women are diagnosed with gynaecological cancers worldwide compared to other major cancer killers such as lung cancer (1.4 million). That’s one million reasons to have a charity like The Eve Appeal.

We are the only charity dedicated to funding research into all four gynaecological cancers. In the , however, ovarian cancer is the most common and fatal gynaecological cancer, which is why it is the focus of our current fundraising campaign. When it is detected at its most advanced stage, over 85% of women who develop ovarian cancer will die from the disease, but when it is detected in the early stages, 95% of women will survive. That's why the Eve appeal is such an important charity. Donating through this site is simple, fast and totally secure. It is also the most efficient way to donate: Eve Appeal will receive your money electronically and, if you are a taxpayer, an extra 28% in Gift Aid will be added to your donation at no cost to you.    --    Thank you for your donation.