On behalf of Mel and I, these are our memories
 
Our Nan was a remarkable lady 
 
Our memories are filled with love, warmth and affection.  As children we would watch in wonderment, at how she lipread conversations. How she managed to stay one step ahead of the rest of us. And we have watched our children, her great grandchildren, share the same
 
Nan always found humor in the everyday day to day.  With twinkling eyes, and boundless energy we remember a deep belly laugh, the way she threw her head backwards, with her hands high up in the air. Her signature, double handed wave as we said goodbyes
 
New England holds some of our sweetest childhood memories. Hide and seek in the garden, being pushed around in the wheelbarrow, pinching fruit from Grandad’s fruit trees. Mel remembers her time with Nan in the kitchen. I seem to remember the frog that lived by the drain outside. Cooking has clearly passed through Mel’s side, rather than into me. We both remember the Rayburn that warmed us, in all weather, and the never-ending biscuit tin
 
When Mel married it was Nan that caught her wedding bouquet. Nan’s face was a picture, it was a moment I know Mel will cherish forever. As we’ve both become parents, watching our own children change and grow older, we’re drawn again to the role Nan has played in their lives. She has been Nan to many of us, a Nan that has spanned generations and they are memories for which we all feel truly blessed
 
There are so many more and I know, from this day, that we will all commit to keeping her memories alive
 
Goodbyes are not forever,
 
Goodbyes are not the end,
 
They simply mean I’ll miss you,
 
Until we meet again.