6 months on and I still miss you like I saw you yesterday. The memories of you will prevail.... That's because Nan your spirit, your strength and you will never set sail

The funeral - Emma's reading For those that couldn't make the funeral here are some words said by me to say goodbye to Nan The day you passed it rained Today the sun shines as we let you go But first we would like to share some memories Nan was a breath of fresh air to all of us. She had a heart of gold and was kind She was probably one of the most independant strong people we all knew. And no matter what she had a fabulous sense of humour Even to the very last day she would not let go until she knew everyone was going to be ok and that she had said goodbye. She even managed to tell me the last time I saw her that my hair looked rubbish. And that my top was to low cut. So cheeky she was! She is just such a big part of this life we know and this world is going to be lost without this women in it! Let's face it were lost in this world now anyway and Nan got out before it came crashing down. Very wise our nan. And also I remember her saying thay she didn't want a fuss... Probably another reason why she picked now!!! Well Nan were not letting you off that easy. A party is yet to come! The memories of Nan will be with us forever. We will never let go of these. We all have loads. She loved a drink. A party. Trips out. Looking after the kids. Her children more than anything. Playing games. A Brady. A baileys. A wine. Even a beer. And a bit of cake or 2. She just loved. Selflessly. She also worried. Lots. And that's because she cared so much. We all blame nan for our overthinking right! My first ever memory of Nan was at my mums when she was babysitting us. This was in Holly Road. She would play with us. She was so much fun but she did stick to the rules and didn't let us play up. My favourite memory of nan. Well there are so many. But one in particular was when Rob and I went to London and we stuck her on the back of a tutut. She was terrified and her hair got all messed up. She was not best pleased. But still laughed. She was 91 at this point. My last memory of nan I couldn't have asked for any more. Yes she was in bed and she couldn't really talk to anyone. This was strange to me. But She was peaceful. I signed the word I love you and she signed them right back and then blew me a kiss. . Even in her last moments she still loved everyone so so much. So here are a few words to tell you Nan how much we loved you..... Nan you are kind. Nan you are fresh Always hated it when your hair was a mess You are a joy loving caring and fun And to me you were my second mum You looked after me when I was down. Always told me off when I would frown Always challenged everything I would say Always loved in every single way. We went out for dinner all the time You would never let us pay. I had to just say fine You really did have a heart of gold One of the most beautiful people in this world Miss independent. Never accepting any help It had to be on your terms. That's just the way you felt. You had lots of friends. Outtings were a few Even on New years eve, in alma house you would be up until 2 Always the last one standing. Chatting away Putting the world to rights in every single way A dear friend. Nan and wonderful Mum Lots of memories and you were lots of fun When leaving a party it would be while having a good time You Didn't want to crash and burn with to many wines The same happened the day you decided to go Your choice. Your time. That, we do know. What will we do without you by our side We will try and be strong because you will tell us off if we cried. It will be hard without you every single day But Nan we know you would say "be strong for me because I did it my way"

My Reading at Nan's Funeral When I first heard the sad sad news of Nan’s death I cried and ached and saw her girlish smile in my minds eye... and whilst mourning our loss through my tears it was pointed out that the grieving was for our loss, not for hers. After all, it’s us out here in the land of the living, and Nan who is gone... she's past hearing how much we loved her, and we assume she liked to hear those words... past appreciating our visits, and we assume she didn't just fancy a bit of peace and quiet... past seeing our photos which we assumed she liked... maybe she was ready to go and we assumed she wanted to stay... But then I thought why shouldn’t we indulge our grief, why shouldn’t we re-live those laughs, why shouldn’t we share those special experiences and cherish those unique moments, the memories that we have...  After all, our Edie loved the odd indulgence here and there... And I’m sure we can indulge ourselves in thinking that Nan loved all those things... So today, this sombre funeral, feels so different from our pastel memories, like the “responsible adult” ceremony...  Here we all are, quiet and thoughtful, sombre and correctly grieving, immediate family standing respectfully apart, doing all the right thing. And with the added strain of Covid-19, it's real grownup stuff,  is this really the time to talk about driving through Aldershot with Nan directing me the wrong way up a one-way street - well I always walk this way, she said... Or how in her younger days she was famed for having the best Atistotle, Aristotle - bottle, bottle and glass... even without the accent you just can't beat a good bit of Cockney rhyming slang... Or even the right time to talk about our last drink together the Sunday before she died, a sneaky Bailey's in the care home - and nobody was going to tell me that a 97 year old lady could not have a drink if she wanted one...  But I won't go into detail... Because we all know that what Nan/Edie really wanted is the “noisy teenager” ceremony, the one that will hopefully happen later this year, where we will gather all those who could not make today, those further family and friends who all loved her just as much as we do.   We'll have a proper "knees up" when we will laugh and share those memories, mingle and catch up and indulge our grief in a very different way.   Definitely her way, and that is how she will always be with us... However we grieve, I'm sure we will always remember a very remarkable and very special lady, such a positive outlook on life, such an inspiration for us generations to follow, she has lived through and witnessed a world of changes, and we must never forget the likes of her which this world won’t ever see again.  Selene Cooper 1st April 2020