Tribute to Anne Farr

The following is based on the address at the funeral of Anne and because of limitations it was primarily for the benefit of close family. But for friends who could not attend. Herewith my tribute to Anne

Anne Farr 1937 – 2020

You will all have your memories of a friend, mother, grandmother and a great grandmother. Our matriarch, our carer and she who held her umbrella over us all and never failed in her love for us all.

We now have to proceed without her and I don't yet know how I can proceed without her. She was my life, my companion, my darling and my sweetheart.
I admired her, I was so proud of her and I have loved her for what now seems my entire life.
You must all look forward, I can only look back.
My memories go back to when we were infants learning to read and write. CAT cat MAT mat.
I remember meeting her again at twelve years when we re-sat the eleven plus examination.
I remember meeting her yet again when she was fifteen and my daring to ask her to accompanying me to the cinema at Nantwich.
My courtship of her began then. I was just sixteen.
She was gentle intelligent and great fun.

Our early childhood was not very exciting as the nation was in the middle of World War Two.
Our teen years were exciting as we educated ourselves and prepared to become adults.
After marrying we welcomed into the world three delightful children and now we have you all. Can two people have such luck and pleasure? Yes we did!
I built for her two houses in which she took great pride and pleasure.
I took her to see St Petersburg, The Pyramids. Niagara Falls, The Panama Canal. Acapulco, The Canadian Rockies and Alaska.
I flew her in our small aeroplane to Denmark and most of the other European countries.

Lately we have gently grown old together and have enjoyed every minute while stoutly believing that "old age" was not yet and was always to begin in another five years.

Our love has been constant our pride in achievements has been constant. Our pride in our descendants has been constant.

I shall miss her .WE shall miss her.

Anne's Pearl Necklace

When I was seventeen and an impoverished carpenter apprentice, Anne and I walked past a shop window in Nantwich and noted a necklace in the window. In fact we continued to notice it each time we passed on our way to the cinema.
Gradually the idea came to me that this would make a perfect birthday gift, but it was priced at £2.35, way beyond my resources. Further more, I was desperately trying to save for a Stanley wood plane to build up my tool kit and that was in the window of the Ironmonger's shop two doors down the street.
I think I was about five weeks scratching together a little over two pounds, all the while hoping that no one would come along and buy the necklace. I noted it each day as I cycled down Mill Street to my place of work.
At last, I had enough money, but I could not have both the Plane and the necklace.
So I made up my mind and this scruffy apprentice lad went in and bought the necklace and raised the eyebrows of the sales assistant.
Next time we walked past it had gone. Anne was very disappointed but not surprised for she had no means of securing it and had made up her mind that she had no chance of owning it.
However, it was her birthday in a few days and then I revealed my secret and she became the proud possessor of a pearl necklace.
She still has it and her seventeenth birthday portrait picture shows her first occasion of wearing it.

The Stanley steel smoothing plane?
That took another spell of saving but it came in the end.

Pancreatic Cancer Research Fund

Should friends desire, contributions may be sent to:
Pancreatic Cancer Research Fund
PO Box 47432
London
N21 1XP
Cheques made out to "Pancreatic Cancer Research Fund".