Mum’s Eulogy
Mum was born Elizabeth Mary on Tuesday January 19th 1926 making her 3 months older than the Queen who was named after her! 
She was born in the East End Maternity Hospital in Stepney within the sound of Bow Bells, a true Cockney, to Alfred and Emily Payne. 
They were living with Alfred’s Mum at 14 Tidey Street.
The first of 9 children.  Mum went to School in Bow where her first teacher was Miss Scotter. 
She was a sickly child resulting in her and sister Annie being sent to an Open Air School on Bow Road. After it was bombed out she never went back to school. 
The family briefly moved to Downham in Kent, but after a cold snowy winter Emily could not stand it and the family moved back to the East End - Coutts Road where they were later bombed out resulting in them moving back to Tidey Street. 
Granny kept chickens and a cockerel who roamed free in the garden. The toilet was an outside job and Mum used to crow to the chickens so that everyone knew it was in use.
Mum loved to swim and the Victoria Park Lido was close-by but you had to be over a certain age to get in, but Mum was babysitting Auntie Annie who was under age at the time.
Mum’s solution was to tie Annie to a tree with the intention of picking her up later, this resulted in a trip to the police station to explain herself to both parents and police.  After that all her brothers and sisters lived in fear! 
Mum, Uncle Alf and Grandad would go to Petticoat Lane Market.
On one occasion they came back with a monkey; Grandma’s reaction was either that goes or I go! 
The Children evacuated but Mum managed to escape and returned home. 
They were later bombed out of Tidey Street when Mum was about sixteen. 
She was carrying Harry as a baby in her arms heading for the Anderson Shelter in the garden.
She was knocked out by the bomb being brought round by a policeman handing her a cigarette for shock. 
After this bombing the family were moved to Windsor Road in Ealing. 
Her First job was at Ealing Studios where she famously spilt soup into John Mills lap. She must have cleaned him up well because he gave her a huge tip. 
Mum was called to do war work for Flextol Engineering, making and testing parts for Wellington Bombers.  It was here where she lost her hearing and learned to lip read along with the other girls on the line. 
After the war, 1947 she went to work for the civil service, working her way up to executive officer dealing with the work for the ministry of fuel and power. 
She took night school classes to obtain typing and shorthand qualifications. 
It was in that office and covered in rotary printer ink she met the love of her life, my dad, Len. 
It wasn’t love at first sight as she thought of him as a phoney yank. 
They got together at a dance at Brent Town Hall with their eyes meeting over a crowed dance floor.
Len and his mate headed over she lip read Len saying to his mate “the blond is mine!”  
They were married 18th September 1948 and honeymooned in Weymouth. 
They lived for the first few years with Len’s mum in Ashburnham Road, Kensal Rise. 
Later moving to a room in Hammersmith, where the toilet was 3 floors down with no lock.
They saved their money and finally afforded a deposit for their first house, 63 Greystoke Avenue in Pinner. 
Dad was active in Round Table and later 41 Club and also the Masons. Mum in Ladies Circle and Tangent. Raising funds for various good causes, visiting the elderly and putting on shows. 
The Diddy Men performance put on by the Ladies Circle was legendary with mum being the only one who could hold a cigarette in her belly button! 
Friends from that time maybe joining us today on the webcast. 
After 12 and half years of marriage they were blessed with ME! 
She was a great mum even though she was incline to hold my hand too tightly. 
She returned to part time work at a green grocer’s whole sale office, on a part time basis so she could have school holiday off. 
She loved travelling abroad and her travels with dad started on a tandem into France. 
We drove down to France, Italy or Spain for holidays - latterly with the motorised caravan and had some fabulous trips. 
Mum loved to cook and was really very good holding lunch and dinner parties for her friends where she experimented on her friends.
Mum was also a great seamstress making lots of clothes for her and me and also for my Barbie dolls.
After 20 years of living in Pinner we moved to Shrivenham where Mum became Parish Clerk and became an Avon Lady. 
At the end of 1984 I moved to Canada where Mum and Dad visited me several times. 
Mum was in the hospital with me when Natalie was born and actually got to hold her first! 
When I told Mum I was calling her Natalie Elizabeth she was baffled where the Elizabeth came from until I pointed out that was her own name!! 
Once Dad retired the Cox’s Road house and garden was too big for them so they decided to move to Seaton, Devon.
Just 3 days after I moved back to England! 
They enjoyed their lives in Seaton. 
Natalie Richard and I would go and visit as often as we could going to the beach at Exmouth, laughing with mum as she paddled in the cold sea. 
Natalie gave mum a new lease of life with lots of giggles playing games. 
Sadly Dad passed away in 2003 leaving mum on her own.
Natalie, Mum and I did have a girl’s holiday to Cyprus with a day trip to Cairo Egypt seeing the great pyramid, Cairo Museum and the Sphinx, a trip of a lifetime. 
Mum sadly had a difficult time with the onset of Alzheimer’s and Dementia which was difficult to get diagnosed. 
In 2015 she moved into Exmouth House where she got wonderful care from the Exmouth House Family. 
She enjoyed a sing song with the Choir becoming a very loving cheerful soul always telling people she loved them with a smile on her face. 
My last memories of her was on October 1st last year, when she had chocolate cake for breakfast and a giggly bubble bath and a giggly afternoon visit with us, telling  me she loved me and blowing me farewell kisses and us telling each other we love each other billions.
 
Love you always and forever mum you will be in our hearts, memories and living on through our genes.