Not so much of the "old", thanks 'Spaw!

Here is the Eulogy I wrote and read on behalf of my sister and myself.

We believe that we have a good idea about what sort of person Gwyneth was and what made her "tick". We have come to the conclusion that her prime focus has been on understanding and relating to people and finding out what makes other people tick.

But it wasn't just a cold, clinical analysis of people. She loved doing things for other people. She loved talking with people. She loved making contact with people and making them feel at home. She was always - until her health problems worsened over the last few years - bright and smiling and alert. She also never had an unkind or nasty word to say about someone, but she would spend time trying to work out why they did what they did.

She loved telling us about her experiences and about her early life. She was a storyteller in the sense that an event was never a simple statement of what happened. It had to be told in the context of other events, of the motivations of the people involved and the other related elements which make the re-telling into a story rather than just a simple statement. She often said that she wondered why we never wrote books, but we often wondered the same about her. In fact only last Sunday she told Helen that she was going to concentrate on writing more of her stories.

She undervalued herself. She thought that she was less clever than she really was. She showed her true colours when she looked after children - her own children, her grandchildren, and other children. She loved involving us in learning and reading and using our minds to find out "Why?", because she loved all of those things herself. She learned many skills, and she spent many years working on needlepoint tapestry and crocheting projects. She was so proud and pleased, and a little surprised (we weren't surprised!) when she topped the flower arranging class. She told us a number of times about how her dressmaking teacher at Tech had offered to help her to become a teacher herself, but unfortunately the poultry farm needed "all hands on deck" and that dream never became a reality for her.

The biggest highlight of her life was meeting Dad. She often told us about how they met and how quickly they both realised that they belonged together. Although they teased each other a lot she often said how she had "struck it lucky" when she found Dad. She never took him for granted. And to see them together it has always been easy to see how much they loved each other.

We believe that our Gwyneth will - in the shortest possible time - join the ranks of those loving, caring and wise Guardian Angels up in heaven who help people here on earth by saying "You can do it!", "You are special!" and "You are loved and valued!" to as many people as she can. So if you hear a whisper in the trees or see a flash of light from the corner of your eye then maybe she is standing next to you whispering words of love and encouragement. Or maybe it is simply your memory of her and she is saying what she would have said if she were still here.

Helen