Eulogy- Memories of Pat’s life
 
Born in the middle of Sutton Springs Wood near Calow, Chesterfield Pat always considered herself a country bumpkin and developed a life long love of wildlife and being outdoors. Being the third child of a family of eight she always had someone to play with and was particularly close to her older sister Lily and brother Wilf as the three of them were all close in age. Pat’s father, Wilf, had a large chicken farm and Pat’s enduring memory is of hours standing at the kitchen sink washing the eggs that she and her brothers and sisters had collected from the hen houses and surrounding fields. Any broken eggs would be scrambled for breakfast the next morning and those that were cracked would be fried and Pat’s love for eggs continued all her life.
Pat had such fond memories of her childhood, of her dad Wilf damming the stream to make a pool with a rope swing and of her mum, Ginny, creating a beautiful rockery that attracted hundreds of bees and butterflies. Our first hymn today was Pat’s favourite as it reminded her of her mum’s garden. The Woodbine family had the largest clearing in the woods and that, combined with their rope swing and pool attracted all of the other children from the surrounding area to come and play too and they had an idyllic and carefree childhood.
 
Pat and her sister Lily were both bright girls and did well at the Bonds Main School and then at St Helen’s. When Pat left school she got a secretarial position at Robinsons where she worked until she got married.
 
It was through Pat’s friend Margaret that she first crossed paths with Alan when they met at Margaret’s birthday party. Alan liked the look of Pat and he can still recall the moment he caught Pat during a game of Murder in the Dark ! Alan was in the Air Force at the time and had to complete his National Service but they wrote to each other and were married when Alan was on his demob leave on the 12th February 1949.
The newly wed couple lived in Stavely before moving to Ticknall, Melbourne and then Littleover until 1970 when they moved to West Hall Road Mickleover. They lived here happily until 1995 when Pat was struggling with her mobility, due to her on-going back problems and they decided to move to a bungalow on Fenton Road.
 
Pat and Alan celebrated their 71st wedding anniversary this year and their devotion to each other and the bonds of love between them have been quite remarkable.
Throughout their married life they shared many interests.
As a young couple they played lawn tennis together at Rosehill.
At each of their homes Pat and Alan enjoyed working together to transform the gardens, and despite Pat’s back problems she always got involved with the artistic aspects of the design, leaving the heavier work to Alan.
Both Pat and Alan loved animals and Pat would take in any waifs and strays , over the years they had a number of rescue dogs and stray cats and she loved them all equally. Pat loved to encourage wildlife into the garden with bird feeding stations, which the squirrels also took advantage of too.
 
With the arrival of Michael and Jane Pat became a full time mum. Jane remembers days out visiting all of her aunts and uncles around Chesterfield and of holidays to Croyde Bay with Grandma and Grandad , Jim and Alice and aunt Kathleen and cousin Liz. Pat had a love of swimming in the sea, which she has passed onto Jane too.
 
There are some lovely memories of weekends and holidays spent at the caravan in Wales and of taking the touring caravan to Benllech, Anglesey.
 
In later years Pat and Alan joined the ‘Mickleover over 60’s Club’ and soon got actively involved. Alan took on the role of Chairman for 15 years and Pat, with help from Alan, became the treasurer. They organised day trips and outings for the group and Jane, Tracey and Bethany would sometimes join them if there were any spare places.  They have also enjoyed being part of the Methodist Live at home group, Eddie would drive them there and as a result he and Jane have now also become the youngest members of the group.
 
Family remained very important and central to Pat throughout her life and this continued with the birth of her grandchildren and great grandchildren whom she loved to care for and spend time with. Jane recalls many very happy days shopping with her mum, Tracey and Bethany when they just enjoyed each other’s company and choosing clothes together.
 
Pat and her sister Lily were known for their artistic skills and as teenagers they both painted and drew some beautiful pictures in each others autograph books, as was the fashion at the time. Pat proved to be good with watercolours too and later she turned her talents to cake decorating with particularly memorable creations being made for mother’s and Cliffie’s birthdays, where she made him a record cake. Pat went on to make her own costume jewellery and set up a business for herself selling this at parties and both she and Jane still have some examples of her handiwork.
 
Although Pat was troubled with spells of severe back pain, after having children, and had to wear an ‘iron girdle’ at times, she still managed to work as a child minder for a number of years and at Fine Fare with Jane.
 
Being the wife of a policeman could be lonely at times, and Pat, being a naturally sociable lady, loved to mix with other people. She looked forward to family gatherings like the bonfire parties at Chesterfield and picnics and always made everyone who came to their home feel very welcome. 
 
Pat was a warm and caring lady and this was combined with a wicked sense of humour, she had a soft spot for Eddie and Darren and would be particularly amused by any witty repartee or innuendo. She had a lovely smile and people often said that she bore a resemblance to the Queen.
 
Pat had a strong moral compass and some of her favourite sayings were ‘to think before you speak’ or that if you didn’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all and these phrases really summed up her approach to life, to do unto others as you would like to be done unto you.
 
When Pat was diagnosed with Dementia, this cruel condition meant that her family felt that they began to lose her ‘inch by inch’ but there were some occasional glimpses of her old self, which would always make them smile. Throughout most of her illness she could recall a memory or story about each of her siblings if prompted and enjoyed reminiscing about her childhood.
 
As we have looked back at Pat’s long and full life it is important that your lasting memories are of all of the good times you have shared and not just of these last few difficult years which represent only a small part of Pat’s life that we are here to remember and celebrate today.
So let us take a moment to think back to one of these happy times …… keep this picture in your mind’s eye where you can come back to it in the days ahead when you are missing Pat most.  6.5Memories of Pat’s life
 
Born in the middle of Sutton Springs Wood near Calow, Chesterfield Pat always considered herself a country bumpkin and developed a life long love of wildlife and being outdoors. Being the third child of a family of eight she always had someone to play with and was particularly close to her older sister Lily and brother Wilf as the three of them were all close in age. Pat’s father, Wilf, had a large chicken farm and Pat’s enduring memory is of hours standing at the kitchen sink washing the eggs that she and her brothers and sisters had collected from the hen houses and surrounding fields. Any broken eggs would be scrambled for breakfast the next morning and those that were cracked would be fried and Pat’s love for eggs continued all her life.
Pat had such fond memories of her childhood, of her dad Wilf damming the stream to make a pool with a rope swing and of her mum, Ginny, creating a beautiful rockery that attracted hundreds of bees and butterflies. Our first hymn today was Pat’s favourite as it reminded her of her mum’s garden. The Woodbine family had the largest clearing in the woods and that, combined with their rope swing and pool attracted all of the other children from the surrounding area to come and play too and they had an idyllic and carefree childhood.
 
Pat and her sister Lily were both bright girls and did well at the Bonds Main School and then at St Helen’s. When Pat left school she got a secretarial position at Robinsons where she worked until she got married.
 
It was through Pat’s friend Margaret that she first crossed paths with Alan when they met at Margaret’s birthday party. Alan liked the look of Pat and he can still recall the moment he caught Pat during a game of Murder in the Dark ! Alan was in the Air Force at the time and had to complete his National Service but they wrote to each other and were married when Alan was on his demob leave on the 12th February 1949.
The newly wed couple lived in Stavely before moving to Ticknall, Melbourne and then Littleover until 1970 when they moved to West Hall Road Mickleover. They lived here happily until 1995 when Pat was struggling with her mobility, due to her on-going back problems and they decided to move to a bungalow on Fenton Road.
 
Pat and Alan celebrated their 71st wedding anniversary this year and their devotion to each other and the bonds of love between them have been quite remarkable.
Throughout their married life they shared many interests.
As a young couple they played lawn tennis together at Rosehill.
At each of their homes Pat and Alan enjoyed working together to transform the gardens, and despite Pat’s back problems she always got involved with the artistic aspects of the design, leaving the heavier work to Alan.
Both Pat and Alan loved animals and Pat would take in any waifs and strays , over the years they had a number of rescue dogs and stray cats and she loved them all equally. Pat loved to encourage wildlife into the garden with bird feeding stations, which the squirrels also took advantage of too.
 
With the arrival of Michael and Jane Pat became a full time mum. Jane remembers days out visiting all of her aunts and uncles around Chesterfield and of holidays to Croyde Bay with Grandma and Grandad , Jim and Alice and aunt Kathleen and cousin Liz. Pat had a love of swimming in the sea, which she has passed onto Jane too.
 
There are some lovely memories of weekends and holidays spent at the caravan in Wales and of taking the touring caravan to Benllech, Anglesey.
 
In later years Pat and Alan joined the ‘Mickleover over 60’s Club’ and soon got actively involved. Alan took on the role of Chairman for 15 years and Pat, with help from Alan, became the treasurer. They organised day trips and outings for the group and Jane, Tracey and Bethany would sometimes join them if there were any spare places.  They have also enjoyed being part of the Methodist Live at home group, Eddie would drive them there and as a result he and Jane have now also become the youngest members of the group.
 
Family remained very important and central to Pat throughout her life and this continued with the birth of her grandchildren and great grandchildren whom she loved to care for and spend time with. Jane recalls many very happy days shopping with her mum, Tracey and Bethany when they just enjoyed each other’s company and choosing clothes together.
 
Pat and her sister Lily were known for their artistic skills and as teenagers they both painted and drew some beautiful pictures in each others autograph books, as was the fashion at the time. Pat proved to be good with watercolours too and later she turned her talents to cake decorating with particularly memorable creations being made for mother’s and Cliffie’s birthdays, where she made him a record cake. Pat went on to make her own costume jewellery and set up a business for herself selling this at parties and both she and Jane still have some examples of her handiwork.
 
Although Pat was troubled with spells of severe back pain, after having children, and had to wear an ‘iron girdle’ at times, she still managed to work as a child minder for a number of years and at Fine Fare with Jane.
 
Being the wife of a policeman could be lonely at times, and Pat, being a naturally sociable lady, loved to mix with other people. She looked forward to family gatherings like the bonfire parties at Chesterfield and picnics and always made everyone who came to their home feel very welcome. 
 
Pat was a warm and caring lady and this was combined with a wicked sense of humour, she had a soft spot for Eddie and Darren and would be particularly amused by any witty repartee or innuendo. She had a lovely smile and people often said that she bore a resemblance to the Queen.
 
Pat had a strong moral compass and some of her favourite sayings were ‘to think before you speak’ or that if you didn’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all and these phrases really summed up her approach to life, to do unto others as you would like to be done unto you.
 
Memories of Pat’s life
 
Born in the middle of Sutton Springs Wood near Calow, Chesterfield Pat always considered herself a country bumpkin and developed a life long love of wildlife and being outdoors. Being the third child of a family of eight she always had someone to play with and was particularly close to her older sister Lily and brother Wilf as the three of them were all close in age. Pat’s father, Wilf, had a large chicken farm and Pat’s enduring memory is of hours standing at the kitchen sink washing the eggs that she and her brothers and sisters had collected from the hen houses and surrounding fields. Any broken eggs would be scrambled for breakfast the next morning and those that were cracked would be fried and Pat’s love for eggs continued all her life.
Pat had such fond memories of her childhood, of her dad Wilf damming the stream to make a pool with a rope swing and of her mum, Ginny, creating a beautiful rockery that attracted hundreds of bees and butterflies. Our first hymn today was Pat’s favourite as it reminded her of her mum’s garden. The Woodbine family had the largest clearing in the woods and that, combined with their rope swing and pool attracted all of the other children from the surrounding area to come and play too and they had an idyllic and carefree childhood.
 
Pat and her sister Lily were both bright girls and did well at the Bonds Main School and then at St Helen’s. When Pat left school she got a secretarial position at Robinsons where she worked until she got married.
 
It was through Pat’s friend Margaret that she first crossed paths with Alan when they met at Margaret’s birthday party. Alan liked the look of Pat and he can still recall the moment he caught Pat during a game of Murder in the Dark ! Alan was in the Air Force at the time and had to complete his National Service but they wrote to each other and were married when Alan was on his demob leave on the 12th February 1949.
The newly wed couple lived in Stavely before moving to Ticknall, Melbourne and then Littleover until 1970 when they moved to West Hall Road Mickleover. They lived here happily until 1995 when Pat was struggling with her mobility, due to her on-going back problems and they decided to move to a bungalow on Fenton Road.
 
Pat and Alan celebrated their 71st wedding anniversary this year and their devotion to each other and the bonds of love between them have been quite remarkable.
Throughout their married life they shared many interests.
As a young couple they played lawn tennis together at Rosehill.
At each of their homes Pat and Alan enjoyed working together to transform the gardens, and despite Pat’s back problems she always got involved with the artistic aspects of the design, leaving the heavier work to Alan.
Both Pat and Alan loved animals and Pat would take in any waifs and strays , over the years they had a number of rescue dogs and stray cats and she loved them all equally. Pat loved to encourage wildlife into the garden with bird feeding stations, which the squirrels also took advantage of too.
 
With the arrival of Michael and Jane Pat became a full time mum. Jane remembers days out visiting all of her aunts and uncles around Chesterfield and of holidays to Croyde Bay with Grandma and Grandad , Jim and Alice and aunt Kathleen and cousin Liz. Pat had a love of swimming in the sea, which she has passed onto Jane too.
 
There are some lovely memories of weekends and holidays spent at the caravan in Wales and of taking the touring caravan to Benllech, Anglesey.
 
In later years Pat and Alan joined the ‘Mickleover over 60’s Club’ and soon got actively involved. Alan took on the role of Chairman for 15 years and Pat, with help from Alan, became the treasurer. They organised day trips and outings for the group and Jane, Tracey and Bethany would sometimes join them if there were any spare places.  They have also enjoyed being part of the Methodist Live at home group, Eddie would drive them there and as a result he and Jane have now also become the youngest members of the group.
 
Family remained very important and central to Pat throughout her life and this continued with the birth of her grandchildren and great grandchildren whom she loved to care for and spend time with. Jane recalls many very happy days shopping with her mum, Tracey and Bethany when they just enjoyed each other’s company and choosing clothes together.
 
Pat and her sister Lily were known for their artistic skills and as teenagers they both painted and drew some beautiful pictures in each others autograph books, as was the fashion at the time. Pat proved to be good with watercolours too and later she turned her talents to cake decorating with particularly memorable creations being made for mother’s and Cliffie’s birthdays, where she made him a record cake. Pat went on to make her own costume jewellery and set up a business for herself selling this at parties and both she and Jane still have some examples of her handiwork.
 
Although Pat was troubled with spells of severe back pain, after having children, and had to wear an ‘iron girdle’ at times, she still managed to work as a child minder for a number of years and at Fine Fare with Jane.
 
Being the wife of a policeman could be lonely at times, and Pat, being a naturally sociable lady, loved to mix with other people. She looked forward to family gatherings like the bonfire parties at Chesterfield and picnics and always made everyone who came to their home feel very welcome. 
 
Pat was a warm and caring lady and this was combined with a wicked sense of humour, she had a soft spot for Eddie and Darren and would be particularly amused by any witty repartee or innuendo. She had a lovely smile and people often said that she bore a resemblance to the Queen.
 
Pat had a strong moral compass and some of her favourite sayings were ‘to think before you speak’ or that if you didn’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all and these phrases really summed up her approach to life, to do unto others as you would like to be done unto you.
 
When Pat was diagnosed with Dementia, this cruel condition meant that her family felt that they began to lose her ‘inch by inch’ but there were some occasional glimpses of her old self, which would always make them smile. Throughout most of her illness she could recall a memory or story about each of her siblings if prompted and enjoyed reminiscing about her childhood.
 
As we have looked back at Pat’s long and full life it is important that your lasting memories are of all of the good times you have shared and not just of these last few difficult years which represent only a small part of Pat’s life that we are here to remember and celebrate today.
So let us take a moment to think back to one of these happy times …… keep this picture in your mind’s eye where you can come back to it in the days ahead when you are missing Pat most.  6.5