EULOGY
 
Mum was born on 13th July 1933 to Bill and Rhoda MacFadyen, in Wemyss Bay on the west coast Scotland. They lived there for a couple of years before moving to Stirling. 5 years later her brother Billy was born followed by her sister May a couple of years later.  
Mum told us she was a very shy child; this was something we found hard to believe as she certainly loved to chat.  Asthma deprived her of much of her childhood education. She was never very academic but more than made up for this with her practical skills, cooking, knitting, sewing and helping my Grandad to make wedding bouquets and wreaths.
When Mum left school at 14, she went to work at the Co-op as a sales assistant and then moved to the dressmaking and alterations department where she perfected her sewing skills.  She also supplemented her earnings by taking sewing in at home, amazing people with her skills. I received a lovely letter this week from a friend who used to bring alteration work to her and to quote he said, “no-one could ever do my sewing jobs like Jean, she was a perfectionist’.
Mum left Scotland at the age of 22 to live with her Aunty’s family in Sale Moor.  She went to work at GEC in Trafford Park working on the inspection lines and this is where she met my Dad, Joe.  They married in October 1957 and bought their house on Manor Avenue.  
I was born in May 1962, followed by Graham in January 1964.  We had a typical 60s childhood, lots of freedom to be out with our friends, only returning for meals.  Our friends were always welcome at our house, greeted with Mum’s home baking and a genuine interest in what they were doing.  In the summer months, our garden was always full of our friends chatting with Mum and Dad - all lovely memories.
Mum was a housewife until I was 10.  She was always busy, cooking and cleaning, she made all our clothes and knitted all our jumpers.  Graham never got over the embarrassment of wearing one of mum’s hats with ear flaps.  
Mum was an amazing cook and we always had good home cooking and baking, never convenience foods.  She always liked to make a lot of work for herself by cooking each of our favorite dishes at Christmas, the problem with this was that there was not enough room on the table for everything.  She showed her love for everyone by cooking for them.  We have a record of all her recipes and will remember her by putting them into a ‘Grandma’s recipes book’ for us.
We spent our summers visiting family in Scotland.  One of our fondest memories are the picnics we had by the side of the Lochs with our grandparents and cousins.  When you went on a picnic with Mum it was never just sandwiches, we would sit at a picnic table that was properly set with knives and forks and out would come the mince and potatoes, jelly and carnation cream followed by mum washing up in the back of the family estate car.  All great fun with lots of laughs along the way.
Mum was a natural carer and eventually found her true vocation when she went into the caring profession, firstly at Mitford House care home for the elderly then at Stockdales working with children with disabilities.  This was a job she loved, working on nights and caring for all the children. She often spoke about her time there and had a genuine love for all the children she worked with.
Mum never drove but rode her bike everywhere up until she was in her 70s.  Graham recalled the times as a child when he used to sit in a child seat on the back of the bike and was absolutely terrified.
Mum and Dad were married for 27 years when Dad was sadly diagnosed with cancer.  Mum cared for Dad at home until the day he died in February 1985, looking after his every need and making sure he was comfortable to the end, something not many people would have been able to do. 
The following year Graham completed his apprenticeship at Shell and went to universityto do Engineering, something Mum was very proud of.
I got married to Colin in May the following year and Mum put all her energies into making my wedding dress, bridesmaid dress and creating the floral decorations which all made my wedding day very special.  
In June 1990 along came Claire followed by Emma in February 1993.  My mum adored them, and they helped her to fill the void after my dad’s death.  Their relationship was very special.  They stayed with my Mum every Thursday from being a baby right up to them leaving school.  Mum was always there taking an interest in their lives and their friends, and always there to listen to them. I found out recently that they used to pretend they were ill on occasions rather than go to school, so that they could go to Grandma’s where they were spoiled with attention!!   Emma commented only last week when she was moving that she would normally have phoned Grandma afterwards to tell her what she had been doing. We will miss her greatly as she always took a keen interest in our lives.
Giovana became part of the family when she came over from Brazil and met Graham at work.  Chris and Carl also became part of our family when they met Claire and Emma.
Our lovely little grandson Bobi-Joe was born in March 2020 at the beginning of lockdown, Mum didn’t get to meet him until he was 6 months old, but Emma kept her up to date with photos and videos.  She just loved him,and he lit up her life, exactly the same as Claire and Emma had done.  She thought she was so lucky to have a great grandchild and enjoyed all the time she spent with him.
Mum’s health had deteriorated over the years, her mind was sharp, and she had an amazing memory, but she developed macular degeneration over10 years ago which robbed her of doing the things she loved, she was no longer able to knit, sew or read.  Her mobility deteriorated but she loved her garden and was often seen with her walker in the garden tending to the plants, her garden was immaculate right to the end and both Graham and I have developed our love of gardening from her.  
She finally moved into Manorhey care home on 8 March where she was cared for till she died on 19 April.  
My Mum was a very strong independent woman, ahead of her time.  She had strong opinions and liked to do everything her own way.
She lived a simple life and was never happier than when she had all her family around her. She will always be remembered with great affection by everyone who knew her.
Rest in peace Mum.