Sample : The letter " JEAN'S TRIBUTE TO JOHN "

John love life and he fought to the end to hold on to it. He was never afraid to die but there were so many thing s he still wanted to do : to ride in the vintage car Alastair is rebuilding; to continue careering round the farm and visiting the bottling plant in his new buggy; to see the grandchildren and hear them play violin, trumpet and saxophone; to finish the jigsaw he was doing, entitled the "most difficult jigsaw in the world" (same picture both sides at different angles). He enjoyed a good detective film, his talking books, and going to meet his friends at the Day Centre, where he was known as "that young man with the lovely smile. Above all, he loved meeting people.

One of the many, many letters I have had says, "I shall remember john in his prime, when he was strong, healthy and full of laughter and high spirits. Whenever we descended on you he always showed us the greatest courtesy and affection, taking us all round the farm explanining everything, When we indulged in our arty talk. he always showed an interest. John was a gentle tolerant man with a genuine love of life. His farm was more than just a livelihood for him. It was something to look after and cherish."

This was true. Because of his land management, part of the farm was declared a Site of Special Scientific Interest, harbouring ther largest colony of Adosins Blue butterfly in Britain. John was an excellent tennis player and he played rugger for Cirencester. In 1957 he won the British Nuffield Scholarship to study farming in Australia and New Zealand.He was a great educator and hundreds of school-children benefited from his enthusiasm when they came on his farm tours. He also took a lot of interest in the concept of good farming feeding a hungry world and travelled with other like minded farmers to many countries. On one occasion the group he was with had to have armed guards on the Camodian border.

You always knew where john was on the farm by tis cheerful whistling. Nick Viney, our neighbour. Used to hear him at dawn whistling as he got his cows in while Nick herded the Whitecliffe cows. One poacher, well-known to john, admitted that he gauged his movements by the whistling.

After john's stroke and loss of conversation his greatest anguish was not being able to put his thoughts into words and the lok of joy on his face when we managed to understand him was unforgettable. But he could still sing occasionally and always managed to sing "Happy Birthday" right through to friends whose birthdays he often remembered before I did. Despite his disability he always made people feel welcome and he loved outings and travel. He still dad a great sense of humour and that and his dogged grit and perseverence kept him going.

Talking of humour, I well remember an occasion when wewere engaged and going for a walk by the sea when he told me to sit on a rock so that he could take a photo. I thought I looked rather nice with a big straw hat and I posed smiling with my full skirt draped artistically over the rock as he kept fiddling with his camera. I wondered why he was talking such a long time and suddenly found out when the seventh wave crashed over me ! His rugged exterior hid a real romantic.Each spring he would bring me the first primros, the first violet, the first honeysuckle. While he was in the hospital he suddenly saw a buzzard outside the window and shouted "Buzzard" I thought he wanted a buzzer!.

Jhon did not believe in looking back to what might have been, he was always looking forward. And that is what is helping me now. The day he died and for several days afterwards all I could think was, "If only I had done this, or not done that.." Each of us knows what that means, despite what people say out of kindness and in consolation. I realise now one of his greatest gift to me is to look forward and not back with remorse.

John did not have time to thank each and every one of his lovely Cares and doctors and his speech therapist, so I thank you all on his behalf. You have been wonderful. Thank you to my dearest sister, Ann, and Russell, who came so often to the hospital and then took me home with them.

Finally, let me say, how incredibly blessed I am with my daughters-in-law. Naomi in the book of Ruth had one. But I have two, David's Julie and Ben's Catherine, plus Alastair's lovely friend Caroline, who is also a Staff Nurse in Poole Hospital and supported me greatly there. Our three sons are a strength beyound words and I am sure John is now delighted to be with Michael, our three sons who died at birth. Our four grandchildren are a continual source of surprise and joy. Anna and Kathryn's music and George and Isabel's drawings delighted him.

The Brahms waltz you heard as we came in was played by Penelope Thwaites, the well - known Australian concert pianist. She took the trouble to record this and to send it by courier to arrive this morning. John loved the piano and this was the music I played to him the evening we were engaged.

The final pieces are now in place in John's life's jigsaw. We all hoped. Along with him, that it would not be finished yet as he had so successfully returned from the brink so many times before. But it was not to be.

Thank you all for coming to support us and to remember a very courageous man who cared for everyone and knew how to enjoy life.

27 th September, 2004

November 1994	22 December 1994