A TRIBUTE TO A WONDERFUL LADY

Phyllis Evelyn Joan Stone, known as Joan, was born on 18th December 1913 so if she had lived, this lovely lady, Mr. HCB's mother and my mother-in-law, would have been 100 years old today. This photograph was taken, aged 22, when she was a bridesmaid at the wedding of her sister.

As a young girl, Joan worked in a local tailors and when she was 18 years old, she met her future husband, Harry, at a Sunday School Treat organised by a local Baptist Church. They married in 1935 and were happily married until his sudden death in 1977. They had two sons, one born in 1936 and Mr. HCB born in 1942.

Joan spent her time cooking and looking after the men in her household - and was happy to sew and alter clothes for her family and anyone else who asked her. I remember she taught our two sons to sew by sewing buttons onto scraps of material - and we still have her Button Box. She and her husband both loved gardening and I remember she liked nothing better than having a bonfire at the bottom of their garden after she had mowed the lawn and collected all the cuttings.

At the heart of Joan's life was her Christian faith and she helped in various groups at Immanuel Church, which was just up the road from where she and Harry lived. The pulpit and lectern falls at the church were made by her, using her sewing skills, with help from others - and although she died in 1996, she is still remembered fondly by many people.

When I first met her, I remember thinking what a wonderful, gracious lady she was and over the years, she was just like a mother to me. Whenever I went to the house, she was always so kind and generous and nothing was ever too much trouble. She was the sort of lady you could open your heart to, and one of my fondest memories of her is that she came with me to buy my wedding dress.

Joan was a loving wife, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother - and a good friend to many. She was kind, gentle, caring and placid and lived a life devoted to those she loved and we will always remember her and thank God for her.

Knowing her, if there is a party in heaven to celebrate her 100th birthday, she would be up early making ham sandwiches, baking a fruit cake, making a strawberry trifle and looking after everyone - she was that kind of lady and I am so privileged to have known and loved her.

Mr. HCB said she loved all carols - this one has the words "gentle mother", which describes Joan so well - enjoy listening to Quem Pastores - Jesus Good Above All Other.