Christine Heather Da'Luz Vieira (24 Dec 1931 - 27 Jul 2015)

I would like to donate some money to Christine's chosen charity in memory of our friendship. I will miss her. Shirley

Today we say farewell....

Once upon a time an angel held my hand,
She wiped away my tears and helped me understand.
Our time on earth is brief, there's lessons to be learned,
Each precious day God gives us another page is turned.
Every chapter full of memories, times of joy and tears,
Triumphs and defeats, through every passing year.
She loved us unconditionally, always by our side,
When no one else would listen, in her we could confide.
With gentle words of wisdom she led us on our way,
Down the paths of righteousness if ever we did stray.
She saw the light in everyone and gave with no regrets,
Always from her heart let's not forget.
Angels come in many forms, for me it is my mother,
With love I cannot say in words there'll never be another.
Every day I turn the page in my heart will ever remain,
Everything she taught me as I stroll down memory lane.
Thank you God for giving me the most priceless of all treasures,
Help my Lord to keep alive her memory here forever.
I pray that I can some day be everything she hoped I would,
That's she smiling down from heaven knowing she did good.
As we gather around to remember her today there's no ending to her story,
Another chapter has begun full of grace and glory.
God's called her to his heavenly home, part of his great plan,
Although it may be hard, we all must understand.
Faith is what is hoped for, things we cannot see,
Heaven is promised to all of us If only we believe..

Dear Stephanie @ Family,

I just wanted to send another special message to u and all your family on this very sad time with the passing of Christine. I shall cherish the memories of the short time I was able to get to know Christine and enjoyed the couple of phone calls we were able to have. My thoughts will be with you all Tuesday the 18th


My very best wishes
from cousin Sandra (Adelaide South Australia)

We are sad within our memory.
Lonely are our hearts today;
For the one we love so dearly
Has forever been called away.
We think of her in silence.
No eye may see us weep;
But many silent tears are shed
When others are asleep.

When I first met Aunty Chris on a visit from Chicago I remember thinking " Oh no there are two of them ! " as my Mother was her identical twin with so many shared mannerisms and characteristics. I grew up with many happy times attending sealed knot battles especially one in Windsor , picnics in Bolton Abbey , ghost stories in the car on the way back home following day trip. The holidays together continued in adulthood, a lovely holiday in Majorca with tia marias at 4pm. A very special time was spent in the Forest of Dean, my Mother was getting quite ill now and we knew this would be our last time away together. My Mothers illness brought us closer together , I often stayed at Aunty's flat in York following a visit to Mothers nursing home in Leeds , we would sit up late into the night in our robes drinking tea finding comfort and support in each others company.
I admired Aunty Chris's determination,inner strength and ability to deal with her burdens with quiet resolution and dignity. Aunty's zest for life and wide knowledge meant time spent in her company was always interesting. The "Ward twins " as Mother and Aunty called themselves were indeed a force to be reckoned with. Their strong bond and love for each other is something I hold in high esteem.
God Bless you Aunty Chris and may you be at peace with the ones you love .

Perhaps my most favorite memory of Grandma was listening to all of her stories about smugglers and treasure. The imagery of the boats on the shore and the cottage hideout were so vivid that if felt like we were there. She would tell us the stories in a hushed voice as if they were right behind us and reprimand us if we ever said the word, smuggler, too loudly. Even as I grew up and started to push the boundaries a little, she never let my cynicism affect the stories for Cassandra. She was patient, kind and full of love for all of her grandchildren. What more could anyone ask for in a grandmother?

The story that I heard about Grandma the most was when we vacationed in Bouriege, France. We had a chateau with a beautiful courtyard where we would lounge and Grandma would have us all painting - perhaps the only time in my life that I created art. It was a relaxing time where we would buy food locally from the markets and spend the evenings cooking it at the house. On one day, Mum, Skye and Grandma purchased some red meat - some local steaks. As I recall they looked like pretty good, fresh local steaks, but to hear Mum describe them it was as if the Queen of Sheeba, herself, had personally raised the cows in the Gardens of Bablyon, such was the quality and the anticipation of these steaks. As we were laying around the courtyard and discussing plans for cooking, Grandma offered to cook the steaks. Mum, apparently familiar with the strengths and weaknesses of Grandma's cooking politely refused. Grandma,not to be outdone, however, insisted that she pull her share of the weight around the house and wanted to contribute, so Mum acquiesced.

With the anticipation for steak at record levels, we sat down at the dinner eager to cut into the tender, juicy pinkish center...only we couldn't. The meat was overcooked. Way overcooked. Overcooked to the point that it was all but inedible. As the four of us looked at one another's steak, hoping that we each had just gotten a bad one, we realized with increasing disappointment that we would not have any satisfaction that evening. Not wanting to say anything to hurt her feelings, we bedgrudingly attempted to eat the inedible. After a few minutes of silence, Grandma noted that the meat might be a little overdone before quietly admitting that "you know...I never could cook steak".

That line has been repeated at least 50 times in my presence, many of them with Grandma there too. Mum gave her so much stick about that - all in good humor, of course. And Grandma took each recital of the story with the grace and cheek that is so well known for. She will be missed, but it is clear from all of the comments below that her memory lives on in so many people.