It’s so lovely to welcome you all here today to celebrate and remember Suzie. It’s so special to have my family and my church family mixing with so many of our friends.
 
Thank you so much to Kath and Pat for giving us a colourful history of our most beloved mother, grandmother, aunt, sister-in-law and friend. That allows me to focus more on her character traits.

So, what was Suzie like... basically she was wonderful, adorable, capable, interested, knowledgeable and lots of fun.

Firstly...she was super caring and always ended up looking after everyone. Dad was on crutches when they married, she was clear from the start that he'd need some looking after, although I do believe that she got him to promise to provide a valet to support her in old age, not sure why they never materialised! One of dad's poems is on the board over there – it mentions her superior valeting skills. And she had superior caring skills too – it was really hard for her at the end with Dad and she soldiered on with no complaints.
 
Once when we went to Battersea dogs’ home, to fill the gap after our beloved Timmy left us, they offered Mum & Dad, a dog with 3 legs, mum was indignant –
 
“Just because I have a disabled husband does not mean I want a crippled Dog”
 
…she chastised the sheepish volunteer. She turned us all round and ushered us out, and we drove home in fits about her dramatic exit - soon after we adopted Benny a failed sheepdog, a reject from a Welsh farm! And as expected he took a lot of looking after.
 
Next, I want to go on to how interested she was in different cultures. We always had students from far flung places from Korea to Venezuela living with us as part of the family while they were studying. She kept in contact with some of these for literally decades and they wrote to her fondly with updates on their marriages, careers and families of their own. She was like a second mum to some when they were feeling lost in a foreign country.
 

When her grandchildren arrived, she spent literally 18 years of her life driving over from South London to North London once a week, every single week to look after first 1, then 2 and finally 3 grandchildren. Taking them to school, picking them up from school, taking them to after school clubs, making dinner and then driving all the way home again. She did this even after receiving a lot of lip, which she dealt with her infinitely experienced teacher’s tone. Luckily, she didn't usually fall out with all 3 of them at once!!

She was always interested in history, culture and art .... wherever we were going we had to visit every church, every archaeological site, every garden, every national trust property and every art gallery in a 50-mile radius. Having a recent clear up I have been marvelling at how seriously she took it, there are guidebooks from everywhere, stuffed with postcards and cut out newspaper articles stuffing the revolving bookcase to full capacity.

As you may have noticed she was dramatic, you've heard about her acting in many productions at many companies, including Questors and the BBC. She was always fantastic, but what I mean is that she was always dramatic. She was eloquent, she had perfect tone, she had a dry sense of humor, and she amazing timing. Drama oozed from every pore!

Here at the church in our Christmas service where we all and I literally mean all of the congregation are invited to dress up, she was usually a Wise King - she was so in character dressed in an old curtain, she always put those not taking it seriously enough to shame. It’s safe to say we all try to up our game!

She also loved going to the theatre - she met Dad at a theatre appreciation group, and they never stopped going - basically to every new production London had to offer. It was the one benefit of being disabled, that Dad got cheap tickets and boy did they make the most of them. When I was little, they use to buy 2 tickets and smuggle me in and sit me on Dad's lap. Dad figured who was going to argue with a disabled man. He had a great act of extreme decrepit-ness and feeble-ness that he always used if anyone ever caught him doing something wrong! So, thinking about it they had acting in common too.
 

Mum & Dad had the loveliest relationship, he was a super husband and Dad, very fun, very thoughtful, very generous, always putting himself out even when it was physically hard for him to do so. Mum and I spoke about him all the time, commenting on what he would have found funny or what he would have done in any situation. We both missed him very, very much. And she is very, very much looking forward to seeing him again.
 
Reading through the memories and letters from her friends – the thing that comes up time and time again are their great parties, fabulous food, killer punch and Jane (here today) remembers so much raucous behaviour that once mum’s outfit had a major malfunction….
 
Peggy (also here today) wrote a poem for her on her 70th birthday I’ll read you a verse….
 
Suzie’s dinner parties can’t be beat
Great conversations, superb food to eat
But I labelled as Scorpio one manly guest
And because I was right, he roared his offence
Suzie sat smiling, not seeming to hear
But we weren’t asked back for over a year!
 
Poems were a big part of all celebrations when I was growing up – I love that their friends responded with them in verse!

Mum was a traveler; Kath & Pat have already waxed lyrical about their exploits with her and you can tell what an adventurous lady she was. I am so happy she found such amazing travelling companions.

Mum wore many hats, metaphorically as well as physically. It’s hard to pick my favorite (although her knitted beret was pretty special). 
I also loved her artist hat - she was also watercolour painter and did some very lovely pictures that we have all enjoyed very much. She loved her University of the 3rd Age art class so much that she helped run the group, doing the course admin which basically meant keeping copious handwritten lists and organising socials!
  We have always had a lovely relationship, but especially in the last few years where we have spent a lot of time together, and the tables have been turned. She was so easy to look after, as Narwal her lovely carer articulated, she always asks after you, she only complains a little, usually in a jokey way and more than anything she is just cute. We loved each other very much and everything between us was good – no arguments, no cross words just love…  

She loved Jesus too and loved being an active part of the church community – she was the lead for the toddler’s club, she performed weekly plays in school assemblies. She knew her Bible so well and she enjoyed dissecting the meaning and applying it to her life with the support of others. She held a home group in our house every week for years, again the socials were a huge part and Mum & Dad cooked many meals and organised many outings. In the last couple of years, she wanted to try to create the same atmosphere of fellowship and church family again in Mill Hill, trying to start up a group in Farthing Court with Sarah and Frances. She was 89 yr old - you've got to love her staying power.
 
Her faith has been hugely inspirational to me especially the way she asked God to help her with everything and she felt held by him in a beautiful way. I have this lovely image of her up at the gates with God spotting her in the queue - let that lady through to the front - I know her, she’s a good friend of mine ...


The knowledge that she is in a room in God's house prepared for her has sustained me since she has gone. We sang a worship song a couple of weeks ago here in church, the words spoke deeply to me, they really reflect how at peace I have felt since she’s been gone...

Joy in chaos,
A peace that makes no sense,
The rain came, the wind blew - my house is built on you.
 
 He's got her, He's got me and it's all ok... I’ll miss her but she is in a way better place.