Eulogy
Florence Christine was born in Enfield
on the 20th of December 1932.
Florence was the second child born
to her parents Florence & George Nightingale and she and older brother Ron
were later joined by Brother Alan and Sister Maureen.
Although christened Florence
she was always known as Jane, (A nickname given by her parents that always
stayed with her)
Jane loved them all, and she soon became the one who ruled
the roost in their home. Sister Maureen remembers the time Jane was caught out
smoking in her bedroom; she set her chair on fire and filled the room with
smoke,
Jane did well in school and enjoyed cookery and sports,
taking part in the Hurdles, Netball and Tennis.
After leaving school she started work in the Jameson sweet
factory and her brothers and sister have fond memories of this time as she
always brought them home treats!
Later she started work in the local laundry where she
boasted that she ironed the famous Ronnie Ronald’s shirts. (He was known for
his talent in singing whistling and bird impressions).
In her leisure time Jane enjoyed gardening, ballroom dancing
and listening to music. She was often found listening to Val Doonican, Max
Bygraves and Jim Reeves. One of her favourite songs was Distant Drums which her
children remember her always singing to them. Her older brother Ron introduced
her to his friend Ray Cowley. Their friendship blossomed into romance and they
later married. Their first child Carole was born in Enfield
and they then moved to Hemel Hempstead where the rest of
the family, Stephen, John, Colin and Jillian were born.
As her family grew up, and married she became a proud
grandmother of eight grandchildren.
Her family brought her great joy and happiness, she loved
them all dearly and they loved her very much in return.
Mum loved her soaps; no one was allowed to speak when they
where on TV and if you did you got a Sss…Her favourite actors were Paul Newman
and Brian Dennehy and she watched all their films. She loved sitting in her
garden, watching the goldfish and the birds which she found very relaxing.
Jane’s granddaughter Kym always remembers when she used to
go round to her Nan’s with her aunty Jillian. Jane and
Jillian would make Kym laugh so much it that it would hurt and she was always
in fits of giggles. Kym also remembers when she was younger and she and her mum
would go round every Saturday evening to watch blind date they would be
constantly laughing and joking. Kym will really miss these moments that she
shared with her Nan.
Friends, neighbours and even strangers were always welcome
in her home even though her famous greeting was “what do you want?” We all knew
this was her way of saying “it’s nice to see you,” and it always made us laugh.
Jane had regular visitors; especially her dear friends and she will always be
in their thoughts. Sheila visited everyday, and drove Jane mad with her bad
habit of twitching her foot, Jane used to say “Sheila keep your foot still” and
it always made them laugh. Iris and Jane were friends for 53 years and shared
lots of memories, they were always there for each other through thick and thin,
and rose and her daughters were neighbours and good friends for many years.
