Nannie 27th April 1916 to July 2002

Doris whom we called 'Nannie' when we were children, and 'Nan' later in life was born on 27th April 1916.

She married in 1938 to Frederick and that's the picture on the left, after the wedding in the garden of her parents house.

They had three boys of whom my father was the eldest (born in 1939). Sadly Frederick was in ill health and died not long after the third son was born.

Nan worked very hard as all women did during that time.

Eventually she met and fell in love with Henry and they married in 1945 when my father was 6 years old. In those days it must have been quite difficult to have a 'stepfather' especially when you were very young!

Anyway, I digress.

Doris carried on and had a further 6 children (9 altogether then) You can see all of the Children with their father/stepfather!

During the time she was raising her family and I suppose (my then stepfather to be) they were also running a bakers shop (which I think was either in Hastings on the south coast or in Middlesex somewhere). My father worked there part time as well in his youth...

Then Henry died also from something like a liver failure I believe), leaving her with the 9 children.

Much, much later on (and my youngest uncle was only about 9 when I was born), she was running a guest house in St Leonards-on-Sea and still bringing up the family!

The other picture here is of my Nannie with me in 1962.

I have many happy memories of going to visit Nan and going down many steps to the pebbly beach in my childhood and teenage years! I can also remember lying in bed at night and the lighthouse lamp coming round every few minutes from Beachy Head :)

In later life she found the big house far too much with just her, so she moved to live in a granny flat at my uncles house in Surrey.

She became very forgetful. I can remember a time when she was staying at my Dad and Stepmum's house when she needed help with washing and dressing (I was in my 30's by then).....

Sadly she was diagnosed with alzheimers and admitted to a home where they cared for residents with that condition.

She died in her sleep in July 2002 (I don't know the exact date but I know that's when it was because I'd just had major abdominal surgery and couldn't go to the funeral).

What a wonderful lady, but she didn't exactly have a glamerous life, sadly! She would have been 97 if she'd lived until today ;)

I have been told that I've not only inherited her hair, her temperment, but also her many creative gifts. I have a lovely album of photos that she made for me (she made one each for all her children), sadly I believe I was the last person she made one for....

The family all try to keep up a tradition and once a year all the children anyway, visit Kew Gardens, where her ashes are scattered, to raise a toast to her :)