Nan, I will always have fond memories of us all coming up & staying with you in Great Glen. Early morning walks to the nearby fields with the dogs followed by a Kellogg’s variety pack for breakfast, we didn’t get them at home, what a treat! I particularly remember one day you visiting us down in Wiltshire & coming to mine & Sarah’s first house, where you & I spent the afternoon having a few bets on the horses while Sarah was at work. Only a little flutter each way! Along came Kasper, I am so grateful you were able to meet him, you were always able to make him smile & it’s great that we have some lovely pictures of the two of you together that we can continue to share with Kasper as he gets older. We know you appreciated the postcard updates we sent you of Kasper growing up. You turned him into somewhat of a celebrity in Aigburth by showing them around the lounge at any given opportunity! We shall miss you & will always remember the good times. Sleep well. Love from Gary, Sarah, Kasper & baby bump Smith xxx

I would like to share with you my experience of Jean, of a mother, a nan, a great grandmother and a role model. If there was one person that would make me think “Have I made you proud?” it was her. Not in a scary, dominating way… but in a loving, respectful ‘Not wanting to let her down’ kind of way. She was huge part in my early childhood. With mum and dad back at work, she was that one who took care of me most days. Without knowing, with her natural care and loving, she taught me the basics. I remember sitting on the carpet, learning Alphabet cards, world flags and numbers at such an early age - “66 Clickety – click” was her age I still remember. I have memories of her having friends over, watching Countdown and the smell of After Eights. We would play ‘Shops’ and race around the house on ‘horses’. One of us would be Red Rum. One of us Black Beauty. It wasn’t until I was older that I realised that Black Beauty wasn’t a race horse and would never have raced Red Rum…. They definitely raced at Linden Drive. Prim and proper – ‘Sugar, beggar, devil’ would be the naughtiest words to ever leave her mouth. ‘You little devil’ would often come as Joe and I were giggling after being called all of the names of all the grandchildren (even the girls) Richard, Gary, Amiee… Samuel…. Samuel…. You knew you were in trouble with your full name! But never a proper telling off… even if Joe had taken something apart in the shed. As we grew older, she would keep us in check. “Have you been burning the candle at both ends?” being a favourite question of hers. “He’s got his best trousers on again” before offering to stitch them up - not understanding why our jeans had rips in them. She had a secret sweet tooth. Chocolate gingers being a favourite, little cravings when she was at Aigburth. I would smuggle chocolate in from time to time. The best time being when I took her a crème egg. After the first bite, commenting on “How sweet these are these days.” Turning her nose up and wincing… only to turn down the offer of taking it away and finishing the whole thing. Only as you grow older do you start to really understand what means the most and is important. She loved visits, even if it was just to watch Deal or No Deal and help complete her crosswords. I was sometimes there as she opened Christmas and birthday cards from her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren – she adored them. That was Jean – family. In her later years, I sensed she just loved being there, not always aware of every word or conversation but just sitting in the conservatory – part of it. Closing her eyes, zoning out and enjoying my mum’s cooking. Savouring every mouthful… bliss… and she still finished before Auntie Jo. I could tell you of so many more memories and I am sure each one of us here today would be able to share memories of her too. And I am sure that what will connect them would be examples of Jean being caring, loving, kind, funny, understanding, helpful, creative… each one of us could think of a million positive adjectives to describe her. But at the end of the day, to put it simply she was our nan, the Queen of the family. We must say goodbye for now to our Queen Jean who has gone to see her Roy. And until we meet again, we love you and will never forget the impact that you had on us as people – your family and friends.

Nan Rich may have been number 1 grandchild but I was number 1 grandaughter. I will always remember the early morning stories about grandad and Siddy. You are the reason why I love dogs so much and have 2 of my own. I loved coming up to leicester to visit and when you came to trowbridge to visit us. I didnt even mind the long journey where we met carole or rob half way at stow as it meant we were bringing you home with us. One of my favourite times was when my friend and I stayed with you for a whole week. To this day Katy still calls you nan and classes you as part of her family. I'm so happy you were able to meet Clara even though it was only a couple of times. But I will tell her about you and all the memories we have. We love you lots and will miss you so much. Aimee, Neil and Clara xxxxx