Eileen

It's my neighbour Eileen's funeral today.

Sadly, I can't attend as I'm working a one off session this afternoon, which I couldn't cancel.

I'm sad I can't go and pay my respects, so instead, here is my tribute to her.


Eileen trained as a registered general nurse in Perth Royal infirmary & went on to do fever nurse training to become a community nurse manager in the Blackburn & accrington areas.
She did this work for many years, working into her 70's.

She was an accomplished seamstress, specialising in wedding dresses.
She was also an award winning cake maker, especially wedding and other celebratory cakes; she loved sugar crafting.

She was good at all handicrafts, especially knitting which she also taught to local schoolchildren, she also enjoyed embroidery.

Eileen loved her garden; she was always pottering about outside, doing jobs that she shouldn't really have been doing at her age, but she was fiercely independent and tended to refuse help when offered.
We did manage to agree on a few jobs she would let us do (raking leaves, shovelling snow) in return for a huge bag of plums at the end of the season!

She was very active in charitable ways, raising money for the MS Society and also for the East Lancashire Hospice (which is where she spent her final weeks).

She had a special affinity with Scotland having lived there for many years as a youngster.

She was of 10 children, four of whom live in Australia (the last surviving siblings).

She loved attending the ballets and listening to classical music. Her opera music would often be the first thing I heard in a morning; she was always up early to collect her daily paper and a grapefruit for breakfast. She played the music really loud in her car!

Eileen was described as 'loving, caring, thoughtful and a whirlwind'.

I would add she was a great neighbour and I'm privileged to have known her.

Eileen, you will be missed. Rest in Peace.