Toni was born into a broken family to a young mother, didn’t have a very good childhood or relationship with any of her family other than her big sister and best friend Roma. She travelled from a young age and partied too! She was so glamorous, beautiful and outgoing. She oozed confidence and humour. In 1987 she became an Auntie for the first time to Romas son Michael. She met Patrick in a wine bar in London who she then married in 1989 and had Amie. She lost her little Nanny in 1990 to cancer. Toni was remarkable in many ways and so selfless, in 1997 she saved a woman’s life who had been run over twice by a skip truck- they kept in touch and remained close friends. The same year Toni was diagnosed with cancer herself and went through an awful ordeal of suffering, surgeries, chemo therapy which resulted in losing her beautiful long hair. Thank goodness after a good fight she got the all clear and the cancer never returned. In 2007 she lost her sister and best friend Roma suddenly and unexpectedly, following this Toni had a breakdown and suffered extreme lows and suffered with the grief immensely. Once she got through the other side of the worst of the grief she decided it best to have herself checked for any health issues to ensure there was no genetic issues linked to Romas death. She was admitted to Charing Cross hospital in London where she was diagnosed with Peripheral Vascular disease, she underwent a 27 hour operation in an attempt to save her leg which they had told her was to be amputated. Luck was on her side, she was allocated the best possible surgeon (we believe down to fate) and he fought to save her leg and continued to fight for her legs and life for the next 8 years through 48 surgeries. During those 8 years Toni went through hell, had many near misses and did it all with a smile on her face. She had a heart attack, allergic reactions to medications, cardiac arrest (once where we officially lost her for a minute) and thanks to our nurse and friend Michael doing CPR for as long as he did we got her back. She truly appreciated life, lived for the moment, didn’t give a damn what anyone thought of her and loved her life. She loved her friends and would do anything for anyone.she was the absolute best mother that anyone could have ever wished for.
Doreen has been described by those who knew her as amazing, a good friend, loyal, funny and good fun. She will long be remembered for that incredible laugh which has affectionately been described as sounding like a chicken laying an egg.
Doreen was outgoing and willing to talk to anyone. She had a personality that people of all ages were drawn to, a young personality that was fun to be around. Her niece Portia described her so wonderfully as someone who lit up a room. At any gathering she was the fun person in the room.
Friendship, which was so important to Doreen. She was so good at maintaining contact with her friends. As well as long standing friend Jean, Doreen also had a special friend Betty. They have known each other for such a long time and spoke on the phone every single day. When Doreen was unwell, they spent the day together, along with Debbie, and had lunch at Betty’s new home in Saffron Walden. It was a special day for all; a special day to remember.
She absolutely loved and had to be wearing her Max Factor or Loreal blusher and lipstick and never went out without them. She was a sun worshipper. She loved a drink, especially red and white wine, but was always willing to try anything. She liked a walk and loved a TV drama, particularly a murder mystery. And of course, we must mention her love of Cliff Richard who she saw in concert with Debbie. She enjoyed eating out, especially fine dining, but was equally happy with a coffee and a scone at a garden centre or meeting a friend for coffee in Greggs.
Doreen was an independent lady, a coper who thought of others and put others before herself. When she became ill, she remained stoical as she didn’t want anyone to be upset.
I would like to share some stories, of which there are many, involving Doreen,, who was often so funny without knowing it, who said it as it was and had a dry sense of humour.
One day she and Derek were having a day out. On the way they stopped to use the loos.
Doreen went down a bank but fell and actually rolled down it and had an “accident” on the way down. Covered in mud she returned to the car. Derek asked if they were still going out to which Doreen said certainly not and they had to return home.
We have already said that Doreen liked a drink, or two, and Debbie and Sue have many memories of a collapsed Doreen after a few too many.
Even at Arthur Rank Doreen brought a smile and laughter to those around her. Doreen, being a little agitated, wanted everything moved to her liking, including the position of her bed. She phoned Debbie to tell her the bed wasn’t working and asked Debbie to call the nurses to inform them. Doreen felt that it had been turned off on purpose. It transpired that the nurses had indeed turned it off as Doreen had played with it so much, she had raised the head and the foot of the bed and was trapped in a ‘V.
During one visit the conversation was about nail varnish. Doreen told Sue how much she hated her nail varnish. She asked her what colour it was and when Sue said bright neon green, Doreen came back with ‘Yeah like your teeth’. Only an older, and much loved, sister could get away with such a comment.
Upload Feature Photo: : 15 : Not a day goes by where Brad is not in our thoughts, hearts and mind. He was such a big bright and beautiful soul on this earth. The memories, stories, photos and videos we all have are the everlasting reminder of our Brad. So this is our website (a […]
Mick was born and raised in Tipperary at an early age he travelled over to England to work. Not so long after he would meet the woman who was his wife for over 60 years. He then build his young family a house and got them all into either music or sports or both. Which with his music they won the worlds. Mick was a silent liverpool supporter silently cheering there victorys . He was very fond of the more traditional sports as in hurling and Gaelic watching tipperary win or lose they were his team. Mick was a heavy smoker but hated seeing his children smoke when they were much younger. He taught his gifts to all his loved ones and would always give a helping hand when needed for a person in need . He was a strong brave man with a lot of pride in everything he done who fought cancer for 9 years. He had great time for his grandchildren and great grandchildren often spoiling them. Mick had a great time for his loving wife Katie as he would often wind up Katie to get a laugh, when it came to 25’s it was a different mood as the competitive side in the family came out. Mick and Katie loved each other through the easy times and the tough times. Mick fought through chemo and cancer for his wife and children. Micks wings were ready but our hearts were not
Upload Feature Photo: : 86 : 1938 – 2024 : A celebration of Doreen’s life will be held on Saturday, June 15th, 2024, at 2:00 PM at St. Mary’s Church in Wythenshawe. All are welcome to attend and share their memories of Doreen. Following the service, a reception will be held at the Wythenshawe Community […]
Upload Feature Photo: : 48 : 1976 – 2024
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