Pete's tribute from yesterday's service...

…..It is no surprise to me that so many would want to give of their time to pay their last respects to Mum, for she too had always given up her time for others. In truth, Mum was the very embodiment of the servant spirit - a generous and loving person for whom no journey was too far, no time was too long and no gift was too precious to give in order to make others feel loved, appreciated and special.

Mum’s Christian spirit was tangible to all she met. I count myself extremely blessed to have been raised by someone who so exemplified the fruits of the spirit to which St Paul refers in his letter to the Galations; love - joy - peace - patience - kindness - goodness - gentleness - and self-control.

Mum was a faithful and prayerful person, contrite of heart and with a forgiving spirit. Clearly the Lord knew she would need these qualities to raise her five children, for with us around, circumstances constantly arose that tested her ability to intercede on our behalves.

Though humble in nature, Mum herself was supremely talented. She had great artistic flare, and was both creative and resourceful. She learned to make clothes with great skill, to cook wonderful food (often on a shoestring), to paint and decorate a home, and to manage a garden full of flowers and produce for the table. She was an accomplished painter, though she never claimed this of herself. Even so, this must have rubbed off on some of us.

I will always remember Mum as being a beautiful woman in her own right, always elegant. I think one of the things that made her so special was that she paid great attention to detail. Little things meant a great deal to her (like never putting jam pots on the tablecloth) - and she had a wonderful ability to identify little things that meant a great deal to other people too. Mum could always find just the right present for just the right occasion.

Mum spent over 56 years being a devoted wife and a great pal to our dad Hugh. Although dad was the outgoing one of the couple, mum was always quietly steadfast and supportive in all he did. Whilst her focus was more perhaps on her family in the early years, many of you will know that she could be great fun to be with. Mum was always game to give things a go, be it riding pinion on dad’s motorbike when they were courting, dressing up in fancy dress to dance the night away with the Operatic Society, or jetting off to far flung places to meet up with family.

In fact mum would travel anywhere and everywhere to see family - Singapore, Botswana, France, Portugal, Spain….even Wales and the Isle of Wight. She especially loved to see her ten grandchildren and kept a special photo album dedicated to just pictures of each of you as babies and as young children.

Mum was a very special person…a sort of family glue. As a hostess, it was as if she could never do enough for anyone. Christmases became such a special time of the year as the family grew - hard work, but memorable... - but so long as everyone else was having fun, Mum was having fun too.

Mum made everyone welcome - and was welcome anywhere. She made everyone feel loved - and was loved by everyone. Mum’s heart ached with a longing to have her family round her - and in a similar way our hearts now ache with longing to see her once again - for Mum will be sorely missed by us all.