Story
Thank you for taking the time to visit our JustGiving page in memory of our amazing mother Monique Franklin - who sadly passed away on Thursday 4th April 2019
After fighting long term illness my loving and amazing mother sadly passed away recently to join our father in a better place. Words cannot even start to describe how I, my brother and sisters feel at this moment in time; especially so close to losing our dad. All I can say is our mum was a true one in a million, a Franklin legend who never put herself first and made us what we are today. She adored her children and grand-children; always so proud and always happy to see us smile.
Her love and care was also extended to the many family dogs we had over the years as well as the varied wildlife we encountered on our travels. Whether it was the Canadian Geese or the Racoons in Philadelphia or the foxes in Colorado she would feed and watch over them .. always looking forward to seeing them return to enjoy whatever snack she had prepared for them
In this tribute to the greatest mum in the world (she always insisted I wrote that in her Mother’s Day cards!) I am stuck as to where to start as there are so many memories. From her 1970s interior designs of Avocado and Blue kitchens; to her attempts at oil painting (I thought she was quite good but she was her toughest critic), to her master cuisine (her Creme Caramel and Meringues would have passed even Ramsey’s taste tests!), to het love for all things British - M&S, Wedgwood, antiques and The Royal Family, to French foods-Frois Gras, Champagne, Maron Glacé and Cotes de Provence Rose, Coffee mornings, to growing Spinach, Asparagus and Pumpkins together in our gardens, to her patience teaching me to drive, to her infectious cheeky smile and her pride at my graduations. I could go on forever...
Not only France but England have lost a great woman- born in L’Argentiere on 17th September 1931 she lived through turbulent times during the Second World War in occupied France (she told me how her nanny used to smuggle for the French Resistance using her pram to hide contraband under her mattress!) She went to Finishing School in Summertown Oxfordshire where she met our Dad who was studying at Oxford and that is where it all began - Four Children, nine Grandchildren later -she made the family home in places such as New Haven, Philadelphia , even Kidderminster, Bexleyheath and lastly in Chislehurst. Her dreams of owning a place in the South of France came true in her latter years, giving her and Dad great joy..... her heart will always be there.
She was a passionate woman with a traditional French fiery side to her that once experienced you wouldn’t want to challenge her again! Her beliefs were strong and bold and she taught us wrong from right and the importance of family.
I cannot say enough about our Mum- she was our Mother, our confidant, our friend, our shoulder to cry on, our support, our everything... We will so miss her and never forget her. Memories are all we have now but thanks to Mum they are great fantastic memories we will always cherish.
We kindly ask if you would rather donate to mum’s chosen charity rather than buy flowers for her funeral then please donate to Diabetes UK. As a family we would like to do something positive at this sad time and therefore be very grateful for any donations made to Monique’s chosen charity.
Thank you
Check out the Updates section !!
After fighting long term illness my loving and amazing mother sadly passed away recently to join our father in a better place. Words cannot even start to describe how I, my brother and sisters feel at this moment in time; especially so close to losing our dad. All I can say is our mum was a true one in a million, a Franklin legend who never put herself first and made us what we are today. She adored her children and grand-children; always so proud and always happy to see us smile.
Her love and care was also extended to the many family dogs we had over the years as well as the varied wildlife we encountered on our travels. Whether it was the Canadian Geese or the Racoons in Philadelphia or the foxes in Colorado she would feed and watch over them .. always looking forward to seeing them return to enjoy whatever snack she had prepared for them
In this tribute to the greatest mum in the world (she always insisted I wrote that in her Mother’s Day cards!) I am stuck as to where to start as there are so many memories. From her 1970s interior designs of Avocado and Blue kitchens; to her attempts at oil painting (I thought she was quite good but she was her toughest critic), to her master cuisine (her Creme Caramel and Meringues would have passed even Ramsey’s taste tests!), to het love for all things British - M&S, Wedgwood, antiques and The Royal Family, to French foods-Frois Gras, Champagne, Maron Glacé and Cotes de Provence Rose, Coffee mornings, to growing Spinach, Asparagus and Pumpkins together in our gardens, to her patience teaching me to drive, to her infectious cheeky smile and her pride at my graduations. I could go on forever...
Not only France but England have lost a great woman- born in L’Argentiere on 17th September 1931 she lived through turbulent times during the Second World War in occupied France (she told me how her nanny used to smuggle for the French Resistance using her pram to hide contraband under her mattress!) She went to Finishing School in Summertown Oxfordshire where she met our Dad who was studying at Oxford and that is where it all began - Four Children, nine Grandchildren later -she made the family home in places such as New Haven, Philadelphia , even Kidderminster, Bexleyheath and lastly in Chislehurst. Her dreams of owning a place in the South of France came true in her latter years, giving her and Dad great joy..... her heart will always be there.
She was a passionate woman with a traditional French fiery side to her that once experienced you wouldn’t want to challenge her again! Her beliefs were strong and bold and she taught us wrong from right and the importance of family.
I cannot say enough about our Mum- she was our Mother, our confidant, our friend, our shoulder to cry on, our support, our everything... We will so miss her and never forget her. Memories are all we have now but thanks to Mum they are great fantastic memories we will always cherish.
We kindly ask if you would rather donate to mum’s chosen charity rather than buy flowers for her funeral then please donate to Diabetes UK. As a family we would like to do something positive at this sad time and therefore be very grateful for any donations made to Monique’s chosen charity.
Thank you
Check out the Updates section !!