Elaine Mum, born in April 1926, was the eldest of Ida and Ernest Williams' three children. She was followed a few years later by Brother Brian and eleven years later by Anthony. Despite a significant and potentially life threatening childhood illness, she was a talented athlete who played hockey for the county and was picked to represent Wales. Unfortunately Grandpa was concerned that it would put too much strain on her health so she never took up the place. Her undoubted beauty and her amazing personality meant that she had many suitors. Fortunately for the three of us, my Dad Hedley persisted until he won her over. It was the first wedding in the village after the war, rationing was still in place so the catering for the wedding reception was quite a headache. Grandpa Williams was the popular local Chief of Police, so the whole community was very generous with food rations, but without the family in the USA - who donated the majority of the food, the cake and the famous wedding dress - it would not have been the resounding success that it was. When Dad received a promotion in the civil service they moved to Bristol where they struggled to start a family. Several mis-carriages and the death of their first born Mary after only six days meant that Mum had to endure painful and stressful medical treatment before Stephen and I were born. Stephen, after the initial medical emergency at the time of his birth, was a model baby which I supposed lulled Mum into a false sense of security so she endured a second course of treatment and I arrived and shattered her illusions! We were both much loved and treasured. Mum assumed that without a further course of therapy no further children would be possible. Unexplained abdominal discomfort aged forty took her to Dr Ross who diagnosed pregnancy and Alison arrived! Mum was thrilled and with a complete family was looking forward to a bright future. Fate then dealt them a severe blow. Dad, only in his forties, started to experience unexplained falls and Multiple Sclerosis was diagnosed. Slowly he deteriorated and Mum devoted her life to caring for him until his death in 2001. Mum came from a close family which called on Mum’s exceptional caring skills on many occasions. She helped nurse Great-Grandpa Tucker; her Father and her Mother and gave support during her Brother Brian's illness. She was devastated by the premature deaths of her beloved brothers Brian and Anthony always feeling that she as the oldest should have gone first. Of her sister-in-laws Muriel has sadly passed away; Jean is too unwell to travel here today but will be thinking of her and Donna is tending her mother Gwen who, at the age of 100, is fighting pneumonia in the USA. For me personally I have a great deal to thank Mum for. Without her enduring support and encouragement I know I would not have qualified as a doctor or gone on to succeed in my chosen specialty of Heart Surgery. She helped me through both the difficult times and also in the celebration of my achievements. I have lost from sight my rock and my best friend but I feel she is with me still. But more about the person herself: Mum was a loyal friend to many fortunate people. Some present today many more unfortunately either too unwell to be here or waiting for her in heaven. Her friendship knew no bounds. Whether you saw her regularly or distance dictated you saw her less frequently she always made you feel like you had seen each other yesterday and no time had passed at all. Loss of close friends always affected her deeply and we remember her sorrow at the passing of Kathleen Lucas and Fred Allan whose families are with us today. She loved gardening but when the lawns became too much for her we were blessed to find Mike. He rapidly became a close friend to Mum and Dad and after Dad's death was constantly there to provide support, friendship and gardening skills. Mum did have to keep a close eye on him to ensure much loved plants were not lost as weeds but we are grateful to Mike for taking these instructions with such good heart. Whenever Mum was in hospital or nursing homes Mike could always be relied on to visit her, often undertaking two hour trips there and back to spend an hour with her. She loved his visits and he could always be relied on to bring a smile to her face. Latterly Mike made most of the conversation, which was a new experience for him, having previously struggled to get a word in edge ways! We, the family, would like to take this opportunity to thank Mike for all he has done for Mum over the years. Alison Mum was always adventurous and loved traveling. Grandma and Grandpa Williams had emigrated to the USA with Anthony so she embarked on a solo first trip to America on the Queen Mary in 1952 to visit the family. This was only the first of many happy visits to USA and the start of the friendly competition between her and her cousin Bill Tucker which led her into many scrapes over the years. This included waterfall climbing; white water rafting; long treks to visit joke sites of interest high in the hills; sand dune climbing and even para-sailing! She would never wish to be outdone but in truth most of us could not keep up with Cousin Bill so she was never going to win but she gave it a jolly good try. There were many happy sailings on Bill and Jewel's cruiser, Love Affair, many visits to Anthony and his family; visits to Elaine and then Alison and Alan, when they worked in the States, and the famous trip for the family reunion when over seventy-five US relatives met to celebrate the Tucker Dynasty. Then there were the numerous trips to Europe with best friends Margaret and Fred, often with Mum and Margaret failing to keep Fred and Dad out of mischief, but many happy times. The next big adventure was the family trip to Australia to meet Robyn; attend their wedding and go on their honeymoon! Robyn was a saint to let that happen. Mum has visited Australia many times since and enjoyed seeing her grandchildren, Louise and Alex grow. She also visited Singapore several times; Thailand with Dad; Honolulu; New Zealand; Cyprus and Egypt. Despite Dad's mobility issues Mum ensured that he fulfilled his dreams to visit the pyramids in Egypt and the canals in Venice coping with the wheelchair and the transport difficulties that this entailed with fortitude and dignity. At the age of eighty she flew solo to Florida to join Reg, who she regarded as her “third Brother”, and his wife Sheila for a transatlantic cruise. Then a few years later traveled to the Bahamas with Elaine and Peter to take one of the last family cruises on the Love Affair before she was sold. All of these trips were enhanced by Mum's sense of fun and laughter which brought joy to those who were with her. She was also the life and soul of the party making everyone who came in contact with her feel at ease. She did not take herself too seriously and would agree to the most outrageous costumes when attending fancy dress functions. Many here will remember the Bumble Bee and Morticia with great hilarity. Once on leaving a function her long skirt slipped, the neighbours rushed to protect her dignity but the retrieval of the skirt was hampered by Mum's uncontrollable laughter at the situation. We will all miss that laughter! There were many memorable parties but those of us who were fortunate enough to have been at her eightieth will remember her last party fondly. I'm not sure how many of Mum's good qualities I've inherited but she is certainly responsible for my love of shopping. For many years we had what can only be described as mini shopathons on Saturday afternoons. We gelled together in so many ways; shopping is just one way. I count myself very lucky to have had such a great Mum. Stephen Mum loved all children. She was not only an exceptional mother and loving aunt but she was also a fabulous Grandma. Louise and Alex may not have seen as much of her when they were small as we all would have liked due to the distances involved, however she made up for that in spades when she was with them. With her grandchildren this primarily involved spoiling them rotten and showering them with gifts but also with love which is reflected in their love for her. Louise and Alex hold Mum very close to their hearts, and their times with her are some of their fondest memories that they have of their childhood. Mum has always loved animals from her favourite childhood dog Bruno to all the current pets. As with her mother anyone human, bird or animal who sought nourishment at her door were always well rewarded especially the foxes!!. Unfortunately she spoiled our Labrador with titbits when he was a puppy so that for years afterwards he drooled every time the kettle was put on. When Elaine married Peter Mum immediately took Alex and Charlotte to her heart and loved them as her own grandchildren. Mum would always be the first to know about boyfriends often with them meeting her before being exposed to the parents! She was always there if they needed someone to talk to and was able to provide support and wise counsel when required. Mum always went out of her way to help friends and neighbours and nothing was too much trouble. She could always be relied upon for support in times of illness or other difficult times. When Mum started to become frail her neighbours returned the favour. We particularly wish to thank Shirley; Bill and Colin who between them checked on her daily, enabling her to stay in her house until the last few months. She was fiercely independent and always smartly dressed. She loved dressing up for parties and the trips to the Royal Enclosure at Ascot and the hats! She had great taste and flair and even when she became less mobile would still make the trip to the nail parlour for a manicure and call Theresa to do her hair. Mum bore her health issues with great fortitude - the diabetes affecting her sight and kidney function. Severe osteoporosis collapsed most of her lower back and caused constant pain and mobility problems and then the Alzheimer’s stealing her memory. As her illnesses progressed she hated the loss of her independence but was still able to touch the hearts of those who came to care for her. We as a family would particularly like to thank Marcia who enabled her to stay in her home for as long as possible and the staff at Lauriston House who cared for her in her last weeks. She was a truly remarkable person, outstanding mother, aunt and grandma and our best friend. All who knew her were enriched by her friendship; kindness and laughter our loss is heavens gain.