Mum, the strongest woman I know. Not a day goes by without you on my mind...I miss you!
I was not able to speak of my memories of you at the funeral service, so rather than hold on to them, I've decided to share, here I go...
I’d like to start by apologizing to my siblings because I will refer to mum as my mum and of course she wasn’t just my mum, she was our mum.
I have nothing but fond memories of growing up – I can’t really remember much from Healy Road but Pildacre Croft and Centenary Square are both prominent.
Pildacre Croft being the typical 80’s childhood place, large groups of kids playing out together until dark and the sound of mums voice calling me in for a bath when darkness fell. It was Pildacre where I first recall my mums aggressive side, deploying a full Sunday dinner, plate and all over my father’s head – that was the end of that!
We weren’t by any means wealthy, but I don’t ever recall mum saying we didn’t have essentials, due to lack of funds. Angela and I had holidays, either to Skipsea, or to grandads in Morecombe and mum always made sure we had fun and her trusty Vauxhall Viva would be loaded to the hilt with all we needed.
It was at Pildacre Croft where Nick entered our lives, the man who it would turn out to be her second husband and the man to be by her side when the curtain closed.
After they married we were to move to Thornhill Lees and have a house of their own, something I know mum was very proud of.
The holidays now turned into proper family holidays and as luck would have it Nick also had a liking for Skipsea and never begrudged taking us to Grandads, although this was to then broaden our horizons as we would venture to the Lake District, a place called Silverdale, which myself as well as mum were very fond of. These were special times, with the added bonus of a few days in Windemere, often joined by Uncle Sam and watersports equipment. I don’t recall mum on the lake itself, but even in a 4/5 berth caravan, a freshly prepared culinary delight would be ready for us on our return. She was a good cook!
It was at Centenary Square where Robert and Nicola entered the world, completing our family. I never went without as a kid but mum always taught me that anything wanted above basic level would have to paid for by myself – ie, Earn it!! This is something I will be eternally grateful for and its my mums morals and values that have put me where I am today.
My mum was always supportive throughout high school but not sporting in any way shape or form. I think sports day at junior school was about her level.
It was at high school where I too was to find out the almighty power of mums right hook, something I’m sure Nick will agree is not a force to be underestimated. I had decided to bunk off school for the afternoon with my pals, unbeknown to me mum knew all along – ooh!, and she fetched me such a clack. I won’t say I never did it again because I did, in fact often but I always told her, the reason why, she appreciated that more.
I can’t ever recall my mum not being supportive in anything I wanted to do and one of these things was travel. She waited with me until 2am on a Saturday morning to be picked up by a van full of strangers to disembark on my first adventure away – 6 months in Ireland starting in Belfast, of the back of all the trouble, yes she was worried but she never pervaded that to me. I continued to travel the pinnacle being 5 stints in the kingdom of Saudia Arabia, something that was to set me up for life and something my mum was proud of.
My mum to my recollection never approved of any of my girlfriends, probably didn’t see they were fit for me, this was to change when Carmen and I got together and made the decision to move to North Wales, if my mum didn’t approve she certainly didn’t say, that was in May 2005 and after a brief spell together we got married in 2016. My mum said “It's about time”! she was beginning to think it would never happen – you do have to be sure of these things…
Its my opinion that one of the greatest achievements a man can make is to make his mum proud.
I wasn’t aware that I had achieved this status, as its not something mum would print on a t-shirt its something my mum would take great pleasure in telling everyone else.
My wife and my little sister both alerted me to this at the beginning of the year and that is the best feeling a man can have, equalled only with the birth of your children.
It saddened me to the core for my mum to have to come see me in hospital, weak and suffering, but yet she still had nothing but positivity despite her own battle – That’s My Mum – always more concerned about others than herself.
It gives me great pleasure to share this with you all and you can be rest assured the loss of my mum has only added to my determination to beat this disease on her behalf.
May she forever rest in peace, reunited with her mum and dad, although god forbid in the same room
My Mum – sorry! Our Mum
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