First of all on behalf of the family I too would also like to thank you all for coming here We can spend some time together & help one other as we struggle to cope with the sudden loss of Joanie that for all her years was still a bit of a shock When it comes to spending time with one another I don’t think I know anyone who comes close to enjoying this as much as Joanie did. She loved company !!! I know Joanie would love to be here & see you all, and would highly appreciate the special effort you have put in to be here. It is a great privilege for me to be able to share some of the family’s thoughts about my dear lovely mum as we celebrate her extraordinary life today. Dennis Prior our civil celebrant mentioned that we seek to do 3 things today :- The 1st is To say farewell. If you are like me this is going to be pretty impossible to do today but I do believe by coming together and sharing our grief with one another and perhaps with a hug or two, well then by the end of today we will all be a step closer to coping with our own individual farewells to dear beloved Joanie The 2nd is to articulate the love & affection we have for Joanie. We all know how charismatic & thoughtful Joanie was.. YES Joanie was the easiest of people to love. Joanie was loved and adored & cared for her entire life.   It started 90 years ago in Llanelli, & from the minute she was born she was simply adored by her parents & siblings. She was made to feel very special and that she could do anything. She certainly got a good & well rounded education and learnt to HOW to MIX with any type of person, whether it be the Sultan of Zanibar or the Essex girls at the hairderessers Remember this was in an age we call the great depression. Joanie never suffered from any depression in 20 & 30’s. … how could she … she was surrounded by love. Joanie entered the 2nd world war as WREN where horrific events were taking place.. How ever when Joanie talked about the war …My mind would be filled with beautiful dashing upright people in smart uniforms smiling, laughing have a ciggie. What a stark contrast to those stories from my father about the same period… Joanie was blessed through the war. After the war or rather towards the end of the war Joanie met Bob & from that time on Bob took over the love, the affection & the care for most of the 53 years they were happily married. How wonderful it was to have happy loving parents. Gail & I can often remember my mum & dad hugging & walking hand in hand … Bob loved to look after Joanie, When Joanie & Bob went on holiday, Bob booked the flights, hotels, ordered all the different currencies…made beautiful sandwiches he organised everything flawlessly, he even packed their suitcases putting pieces tissue in between Joanie’s outfits… Joanie had everything done for her, Bob loved to shower Joanie with love and affection &….. Joanie loved it too After Bob’s death many of us made a special effort to fill the gap left by Bob. Gail bless her took over the major caring role. Dear Gail I’m sorry to embarrass you here today but if anyone deserves a big thank you.. it is you !! Gail you have been the most remarkable daughter and have shown love and affection way beyond the call of duty with so many thankless tasks, I can’t tell you what a comfort it is to have YOU for a sister. Gail you enabled Joanie to enjoy these last 10 years without Bob where she had ample time to prepare for her own departure. She had an independent life & was able to enjoy 7 wonderful great grandchildren, I would like to nominate you for an award. Love and affection yes Joanie received this in abundance. Joanie was truly blessed The 3rd thing is to Recount the person Joanie was. What a task, this last item none of us can do justice to in a month, let alone the precious time we have together today. What Garth Zoe, Hannah & I can do is share a few of the classic memories that we can replay that I’m sure you will all recognize remember & treasure too I remember Joanie liked to look smart I think the photo on this program captures how beautiful she still looked in her 80’s I will remember how lovely she looked when she wore here cashmere twin set outfit with the tiger on the front. You never really had to worry what type of a mood Joanie was in she always absolute delight to be with, superbly calm, & even tempered, I hardly ever really saw her get upset or really ruffled … During the last 10 years Joanie planned an annual visit to Holland for a few weeks Joanie was a pleasure to have as a guest, she’d fit in with whatever was going on.. In the first few years I would work 50% from home a couple of days from the homes of my colleagues I would ask Joanie would you prefer to stay at home watch the beeb, read your Clintion biography & do your own thing… oh no I’ll come along she’d say. I would try to hurry along my meetings & work only to find that Joanie would in another part of the house & only be part of the way into her conversations with Janice or Marie-Jean ..so often many these days ended up with us coming back very late at night…such fond memories Generous to a fault, with a superb memory, never forgot a birthday or important occasion. When we lived in East Barnet, after Christmas I can always remember Joanie travelling up to the west-end sales. This is how she met her best friend Maria who I’m so pleased has joined us today in particular she loved to shop at Harrods, not for herself of course but to get us all a gift with a “touch of class” If those of you who were lucky enough to receive a gift from Joanie think back now I’m sure it was something sumptuous like a set of YSL towels or some luxury food items from Fortnum & Mason’s. My absolute favourite is a lovely bone china tea mug that Joanie gave many years ago. Joanie was so proud of her Welsh heritage, personally I dislike fervent nationalism but once again in Joanie’s case she was simply proud to be Welsh and it was an admirable trait. I loved it when she met other Welsh people because as these meetings grew in time well then so did her ‘welshness’ The music we played on entrance many will recognize is the Welsh national anthem I remember Joanie singing this before she watched Wales play rugby.. From now on I will firmly be behind Wales in the 6 nations. Thanks to Fraser I have tie to wear too now. I will remember Joanie for how proud she was of her family & friends. In the last few years I would call Joanie most days for a chat invariably these would be 30-60 min encounters ..unlike her welsh rugby team ..Joanie holding most of the possession… I didn’t mind at all , she was my “voice from the family” I really don’t know what I am going to do now without her.. I have lost my linking-pin to family & we have all lost our point of contact to the complete unedited version of the family news. Joanie would spend a great deal of her time relating events about the family & friends in vivid detail to me …I’m sure I’m not alone …Now one could think that this might be annoying..or that it was bragging… the contrary it was delightful to listen to how proud she was of all of you. Many of us here may have not met one another But thanks to Joanie & her chats we have probably been virtually introduced several times over I think that if you could design an application, to recreate the service Joanie provided to family & friends it would probably look like a bigger better & certainly more verbose version of Facebook. Joanie was the social network before it got its name or became so hip !! I would like to nominate her for an award.   Joanie was the finest story teller Joanie would often start “Well to cut a long story” Joanie would never say to cut it short that was never in her vocabulary. Joanie loved to take her time, whether it was in conversation or eating or what ever she did, This is a trait I wish I had inherited …maybe with the exception of this tribute in which I too have decided to take my time The way that Joanie would tell a story would have you sitting on the edge of your seat. Even if you were present at the event Joanie would be reciting & even if you’d heard it before you NEVER NEVER really knew what she was going to come out with … This lead to some embarrassing moments for quite a few of us and she had us all with tears running down our faces on many an occasion when you listened to it from Joanie’s view it was just so much better & certainly more colourful . I wish Joanie could be here to tell the story in her own words; she could do this so much better than I can. Though as you all know Joanie had the incredible ability to spend twice as as much time on the narration of an event than the actual time taken to experience it, I remember the story when she arrived on Concorde at the Oshkosh airshow. As Joanie descended the aircraft stairs an unsuspecting reporter choose Joanie to ask …..how the flight was. After about 30 mins Joanie yet to draw breath was still on the 1st question & only15 minutes into recounting her experience !!   I’m sure you’ll all know the story of how Joanie met my father . I have heard this so many times but I never tire to hearing again. What really impresses me about Joanie is that during a story of length ..that the story will lead into another one which in turns leads to another I think she often had about 7 levels of stories in the stack . Without any pause Joanie could bring back in perfect order to the original place of the top level story. This was truly awesome. Especially as I would regularly interject the odd crack, this was taken in good spirit & would not steer her off track in the slightest !! Finally I want to thank you Joanie for all the great memories you have given us all … Joanie you were so proud of us .. well We’re so proud of you too !! You managed so well on your own & kept your independence and dignity. I am so grateful that you hardly suffered and to be by your side as you died & to you Zoe for helping me through this sad but very special moment. Joanie you lived a charmed life, never had to drive or change a plug….now you are back with your dearest darling Bob. One of my friends said to me that Joanie was the mother that she always wanted…. What a lovely tribute, I certainly wouldn’t have wanted any other type of mum or changed her for the world, she was a superb mum I’m so thankful to Joanie & so thankful for the time I had Joanie will live on in my heart & I’m sure most of yours too. I also think there is a bit of our the fiesty-storytelling-Joanie in the 3 generations that now follow her Wales has lost one of their best & most loyal fans. The world has lost a truly unique & flamboyant person. I will miss you Joanie we will all miss you. Farethewell ,,, Nos Da Joanie-bach ,,,,,,,God bless you