Richard and I really got to know Eileen 5 or 6 years ago. She’d unfortunately had a few falls at home and we helped her after these and tried to get her sorted so that she could continue to live independently. Sadly this wasn’t to be so after a short stay at Perth House, she took up residence at Southover Care Home.
 
We went to see her every fortnight and she looked forward to seeing photos of our Grandchildren, keeping up to date with what they were doing. She made sure that we showed the photos to Janet, her special friend in the home.
 
Eileen was always interested in local events and loved to know what our daughter, Holly, who is a police officer, had been doing. The question always asked was “Has she made any arrests this week?” She always wanted to know if she’d been involved in any drugs raids or murder cases! She seemed to be more informed about the drug scene than we are, though goodness knows how!
 
Eileen loved hearing about our holidays and travels and would regale us with stories of her own travels, she was particularly keen that we visited Benidorm, one of her favourite holiday destinations, sorry Eileen we’ve not been yet, but you never know!
 
A visit with Eileen was never boring, we were never stuck for a topic of conversation. She would tell us stories of her early life, her dancing days, how she met her husband Phil and about working on the planes in the war.
 
She delighted in telling us the story of when she and Phil were in Singapore and Phil’s rather shapely legs were much admired by a local man, much to Phil’s disgust but Eileen’s amusement!
 
Food was another favourite topic of conversation, she would reminisce about the fish and chips she had in Australia – but not just boring old cod or haddock, no, it was shark! Apparently once you’ve had shark and chips nothing else compares.
 
We would often arrive at the home to find Eileen sitting in the entrance hall either waiting for us or for a phone call from other family members which she so looked forward to.
 
We’ll remember Auntie Eileen with great fondness, her lovely smile and sparkling eyes, full of laughter and fun.
 
Bless you Eileen.