Celia-Amazing-Mum-and-friend!

You were the heart of our family, loving Mum, sister, Auntie, & Granny.Through all the chapters of life & times of suffering you were strong and kept going, taking every challenge in your stride, & growing in character, always loving & giving to others. Your many friendships were so important to you, & your friends knew how much you valued them.

Your teaching career over the decades spanned from 6th form education to those with special educational needs & severe disabilities. Here your caring nature, great patience, creativity and positive outlook helped deliver enrichment to so many lives of young people & families.

What fun you had over the years from a house renovation, to a smallholding with cattle & hens, dry stone walling, & home grown vegetables. Not to mention your crafting, a lifetime of knitting until the final week of your life, making wedding dresses for friends & family, cake decorating , & costume making for college shows many years ago!

There certainly was never a dull moment, be it throwing a family party or entertaining friends, you would be there baking & home cooking to get everything ready & make everyone feel just so welcome. Your adventurous streak led you to a lifetime of camping, travels abroad & a caravanning chapter. Your musical passion, abilities & commitment always brought joy, be it carols at Christmas or your almost 40 years playing the cello in the local symphony orchestra, not to mention the piano, horn and guitar!! Clearly you were never shy of taking on a new challenge!

You were just so lovely, young at heart, selfless, down to Earth & never made a fuss; but above all you were our solid rock as a single parent due to being widowed 3 times. You accepted your lot & never complained, but chose to always take joy from the life you were given, throughout.

This rapid onset of becoming unwell took you so swiftly from your full & active health, just when you were happy after your house move months earlier, contemplating through lockdown & looking forward to the year ahead. Your symptoms came so soon after happily celebrating your 80th birthday. You got tests promptly & a scan, needed a short hospital stay & then were dealt the bombshell diagnosis of Advanced Pancreatic Cancer which shocked all who knew you.

Your quiet faith underpinned your later years but shone through as you calmly accepted your unexpected illness, devastating diagnosis & short time to live. All you wanted was to be cared for at home & to see your beautiful view of the Pennines. This was the greatest gift that we were able to give you in return for all that you have been to us & so many through your full life well lived.

Such sadness that you have been taken so soon, only 5 weeks after your diagnosis &10 weeks from the start of your symptoms. We know this story is all too common with pancreatic cancer & as you wished,will raise funds in your memory to support research & pioneer early diagnosis& effective treatment.

We will always love you xxx