Nan's Eulogy Where do I start, what can I say about my Nan, your mum, your aunt, your great Nan - Vera Brooks? Well firstly she was one very classy lady. She always made an effort to look good and often looked like a movie star with her immaculate hair (styled with nearly a whole tin of hairspray), her printed headscarf (to keep said hair in place) and of course her lippy – she never went anywhere without her lippy. She also had a great sense of humour and loved to laugh and was always teasing or winding one of us up to get a reaction. I always loved the way she clenched her fists under her chin when she was excited, like a little girl. As grandchildren we were never in doubt how much both our Nan and granddad loved each of us and some of our best days were spent at their home in Exchange Road. Taking turns to use Kim’s lift, trying to sneak into Jimmy’s old bedroom to unearth lost treasures, touching things in the lounge including the multitude of magnifying glasses they had, retrieving things for them from the cupboard where the glass used to be, putting on Nan’s oil of ulay when she wasn’t looking and of course playing in their garden, which they kept so neat and tidy. Most of our school holidays were spent walking into town to buy the day’s groceries, getting home in time for lunch which was always the best cheese or ham sandwich you ever tasted (and always served with beetroot on the side). Sadly, I feel very guilty to admit that I don’t know much about my grandparent’s childhood and now it is too late to ask them. But what I do know is that family meant everything to them. Nan & Grandad were very loving, parents providing their family with a happy home and many wonderful holidays. Often when they returned from holiday Nan would try to recreate the holiday dining room at home, sometimes even buying things for the kitchen table so they could all pretend they were still on holiday at meal times. When Kim came along many couples would have fallen apart but not them, caring for Kim only made their love stronger and they both adored her. We all have special memories of both her and Grandad and the only solace I can find in losing her, is believing that they have finally been reunited. They had been apart too long and Nan was lost without him. Nan’s dementia accelerated at such a great speed after his passing and we have in fact all had to say goodbye to her twice, once to the terrible disease that robbed her of enjoying the last few years of her life and then again on Thursday 17th November at Lister Hospital. Although she left this world peacefully, with loved ones all around her, her loss will be felt for many years. But what we can do is remember her, keeping her alive in our hearts and thoughts. We must treasure every memory and share them with our little ones who sadly won’t be able to remember her themselves. To ensure that we never forget how fortunate we have been to have had this wonderful woman in all our lives. I asked some of you to share some of your special memories with me and many of you remember what an amazing cook she was, and how she could literally make a meal out of anything. Many of us fondly remember how she always took such great care with preparing food for us. I am sure we can all remember watching her prepare many a casserole, and not one bit of fat or gristle would ever get past that woman’s knife! Nan’s porridge was always perfect, and again she spent ages picking out all the black bits before cooking and then finishing it off with a drizzle of gold top cream. Her Sunday dinners were the best especially her roast potatoes, although as mum reminded me that we often worried if we would ever eat as she had a terrible habit of taking the meat out of the oven every ten minutes to poke it with a fork. Debbie remembers their trips to visit Kim when she went to Halliwick School; she packed up the usual corned beef sandwiches as they headed to London on the train. She was often mistaken for Debbie’s mum and she loved the compliment. Debbie would give anything to have that special time again, we all would, one last family gathering at Exchange Road, I know one thing we would appreciate and enjoy every minute and I know we would all be laughing. One of the nicest memories I heard was from Aunty Pat, I never had any idea she was at Nan’s 21st birthday – dancing the Ballin’ the Jack (I had to look it up and had a shock to find out it was the dirty dancing of its day). I would love to hear more about what Nan was like back then. As you can see from the photo on the order of service she was a very beautiful lady. I fondly remember teatime at Nan’s, always proper tea (not teabags), and the tray would come in to the lounge with the most mis-matched collection of cups you ever saw, but this was how they knew, who’s was whose and your name and mug would be called out as Grandad rested it on the coffee table – I would love to have one last cup of Nan’s tea in the I love Mecca Bingo or Father Xmas mug, or eat just one more of her amazing sandwiches. And I bet Claire would love to be tucked in one last time, so tightly she could barely breathe and hear Nan say “Good Night, God Bless”. Instead, it is us saying it to her, just one last time - Good night and God Bless Nan – sleep tight x

Thank you for setting up this memorial to Vera. We hope that you find it a positive experience developing the site and that it becomes a place of comfort and inspiration for you to visit whenever you want or need to.

I am I and you are you, whatever we were to each other that we still are. Speak to me in the easy way which you always used. Why should I be out of mind because I am out of sight? Life means all that it ever meant, it is the same as it ever was.