Dear Nanny Lew

Hello Nanny,

I hope you're well up there and enjoying your time as an angel! It's hard to believe that you're not with us anymore Nanny, so to think that in a few days time you've been in heaven for a year is upsetting. It seems a lot longer than a year to be honest Nanny, so much has changed and so much has happened, we all miss you dearly, the life and soul of the family with a laugh none of us could forget.

I know, we all know you're looked after up there Nanny, you're one of God's angels now, and we all know God takes care of his angels, and his followers, just like he did with you. It was hard to see you in the last moments of your life Nanny, you looked so different to the lovely grandmother I knew all my life, of course you was still the lovely grandmother I loved, and do still loved, it was just hard to see you in that environment, where none of us wanted you to be.

However God needed you for whatever reason Nanny, and so we had to say goodbye to you, a day, a moment, a time that broke us all. We all knew deep down that you was better off in Heaven Nanny, but it was still a hard time to get through, we know you'd not want anyone of us to cry over you, but how could we not, we lost a very lovely and special lady, a major person in the family unit had become an angel.

Me, Dad (your first born son and eldest child), Lizzy, Dean, Paul, Paula, Chelsea, Jamie and myself done things a little differently for your send off Nanny, we knew your life should be celebrated, and not mourned. We went to the church where you and Grandad had your vowels renewed, where children in the family was Christened, and where so many of us prayed at various times, only this time, we was seeing you depart to heaven.

We also went along after the church to the crematorium, where you was being cremated, we cried at the church, but sobbed as the curtain drew hiding your coffin, we (me and my immediate family as mentioned above), touched your coffin with a single rose dad had brought for us all, we kept them roses, and still have them now in dad's greenhouse ready to scatter into the sea from one of your favourite locations - Weymouth next month.

After we looked at the beautiful reefs everyone had got you, and said our goodbyes, we briefly popped into where the wake was being held, but decided to celebrate your life instead, so we said goodbye to everyone who was there, and off we went to celebrate my dad's dearest mother, and our dearest Nanny. We went for a Toby Carvery and had a big roast dinner, one of your favourite traditional meals, and then we went to dad's.

We cried, we cried lots, we took photo's of us all together, it was one of the rare times none of us had children (although Spud did later join as I had no one to have him for the evening), we popped champaign and drank our favourite spirits, we danced, we sang, we played games, mainly Pictionary, a game you was rather fond of.

We remembered you for the person you was, the lady we knew, our Nanny, we forgot for the day of you in your last days and how different you looked, we imagined you now, in a pearl white angel suit, looking down on us telling each and every single one of us not to be sad.

We spoke about fond memories, from all ages and stages of our life, memories I won't share publicly, but memories we all hold inside us. We looked over photo's of you, and I smiled with pride when dad told me how much I look like you, when you was younger.

We'll never forget you Nanny, it's been nearly a year, and although our family has changed now you're not here, we will always love you, and remember you for the lovely caring lady you was.

I know you're the reason behind this house Nanny, yes it need's a lot, okay a lot, a lot of work doing to it, but my boy's got a garden Nanny! You said to me a month before God recalled you to heaven, on your hospital bed that you hope my boy gets a garden, I know you gave him that garden Nanny, the garden he always dreamed of.

We would of in truth Nanny, been happy with a tiny patch of a garden, but you gave us a huge one, one where Spud can run up and down, have a paddling pool, a swing and sea-saw set, and still have plenty of room behind him. You gave us a patio, and room for flowers and tree's to grow, in your memory and legacy Nanny, I've donated the rockery to you in the front garden.

The gardens in truth will be the last to be done in this house, I have only got the front room sorted due to the cost of everything, but when I do have the funds for the gardens, a rose bush will be planted for you, surrounded by pure white stone pebbles, at the front of the house, a place for me to visit you.

As much as I don't want too, I need to go now Nanny, we're celebrating your life again this upcoming week, we do not want to mourne, as we know you would not of wanted this, so instead we're going to church, and going for dinner after, we will toast to your life like we did one year ago.

Take care Nanny, and please say hello to my Grandad Joyce for me, and all the fellow angels.

Until we meet again, rest in paradise Nanny.

Jada - Gary's youngest daughter.