Elisabet

Det bästa för Anna-Lena i Tumba ...

Mrs och Mr How med sonen John i mitten.

Hej Elisabet, det bästa den här veckan är en något sorglig, men ändå fantastisk historia.

Historien om mina svärföräldrar i Colchester, England som efter 68 års äktenskap nu vilar tillsammans för alltid.

Min svärmor dog i januari förra året och min svärfar i slutet på december.
 

I onsdags, dagen efter min svärfars begravning, gravsattes de båda i hans föräldrars grav. 

Ett fint och värdigt slut på ett långt liv tillsammans, där de båda liksom levde i symbios med varandra. 

Min svärfar hade berättat för prästen inför sin hustrus begravning att "inte ett argt ord" hade växlats mellan dem. Hela församligen skrattade när prästen berättade det, för så var det naturligtvis inte - tvärtom. 

Men under den tid när min svärmor vårdades på sjukhus och innan de båda fick plats på samma vårdhem, var hans enda mål att de skulle få vara tillsammans igen och hans demens utvecklades på bara några få veckor utan henne.

Nu kan ingen skilja dem åt längre.

// Jag frågade Anna-Lena om hon inte kunde berätta lite om sin svärfar och svärmor och efter några timmar kom följande rader: 

"Så här skrev John om sin pappa som underlag till prästen inför begravningen. Jag tycker det är så fint skrivet och han hade inget emot att dela med sig av texten."

Dad was born on the 14th November 1919, at Montacute, Somerset.

He went to his first primary school at Montacute before the family moved to Bishops Lydeard, Somerset, when dad was about 6 years old.

Dad was a very bright pupil and when he was about ten years old he had to stay home from school for half a year so that the

other pupils could catch him up with their learning. 

Dad  joined the Territorial Army in the spring of 1939 when he realised that war was approaching.

Then after the outbreak of war he served with The Royal Somerset Artillery. He was in the artillery all throughout the war.

At the time of The Battle Of Britain dad was doing his part with the big guns down on the Kentish coast.

He spoke of the battle saying that the skies were black with the hundreds of bomber and fighter aircraft.

On many an occasion dad and his fellow soldiers had to fetch and capture the enemy fighter pilots that had bailed out of their

aircraft.

In the year summer of 1942 dad was stationed in Great Bentley, Essex.

In the same village was staying some Land Army girls and here dad met his lifelong sweetheart "Lilian".

They fell in love and were married on the 8th January 1944.

They were married 68 years before mum passed away 18th January 2012.

In the latter war years dad served with his regiment mostly in Italy and Greece.

He left the army in 1946 and he and mum settled in Colchester, mum being a Colchester girl

Dad worked for a while at Paxmans before moving on to The Colchester Lathe Company.

Here he spent over thirty years of his working life and when he retired he was a Engineer Forman.

Children, Marianne was born 1948 and John was born 1952.

Dad was a very caring father. He did have a heart of gold but as mum would always say

"his tongue was worse than his bite".

To many dad was a very strict man, stern and hard. He could sulk for days over some things.

Yet he was a loving father who only wanted the best for his family.

He used to be a keen gardener before age caught up with him. I can remember dad out in his vegetable patch and

his love for growing crysanthemums.

He enjoyed Country and Western music.

He was still driving his car at the age of 90, although it must be said that he was a menace on the road at that age.

Dad leaves behind a large family,

Two children

Five grandchildren

Nine greatgrandchildren.