Thank you all for coming. It’s my privilege to deliver the eulogy to my Nanny, Alice Hearne.

I know if Nanny were here today she’d be sat, centre circle, enjoying the company, but still asking who everyone was.  Once told, she’d remember them instantly, usually with a story about them.

It seems funny that she’s not with us anymore as she has always been a part of my life.  From my earliest memories she never changed.   My earliest recollection was visiting her in Tottenham and to a 5 year old she seemed ancient then, but as I got older she just always seemed to stay the same.

When her and Granddad moved to Helmdon, our visits or holidays were always eagerly anticipated.  As a townie from London, the countryside was a magical, wide open space to be in, and always our Nanny was there, with a drink or food and always ready to listen to listen to the adventures we’d had that day.  Despite our youthful legs we often struggled to keep up with her on our Sunday afternoon walks after lunch.  Even later in life she never stopped walking and seemed to have endless energy.

When we stayed, I used to get up early and make her a cup of tea.  She used to have a teaspoon of whisky in it every morning and more than once I’ve joked with her about it being her secret to a long life.  I used to joke with her that’s where my taste in whiskey came from.

She also taught me how to play bridge and from all accounts was a consistent winner in her bridge evenings.

She used to tell me she always wanted to work in a shop, but she wasn’t allowed.  Perhaps that’s why she had so much pleasure running stalls for the Church fetes.  However every time we stayed I had the smallest bedroom and generally slept amongst piles of items being saved for her stall.

As a child we used to occasionally be allowed to watch her TV, but it always on BBC1 and we had to return it to the same channel.  At the time we thought it was because her favourite programs were on those channels, Songs of Praise, the Generation Game, Morecombe and Wise, but I really think it was just so that she just had to turn it on and off.  It wasn’t until her eyesight started failing and we bought her a tape player and storybooks to listen to that we realised that technology wasn’t for her.  We tried to teach her, but I suppose for someone born 6 months before the Wright Brothers first flew she’d seen so many advances in technology that she just drew a line somewhere.

She always had time for everyone and kept in contact with many people over her lifetime.  Every summer she had postcards from all over the world and there were barely enough surfaces in the house for the numerous Christmas or birthday cards she received.  I remember visiting her just before one Christmas when she was in her late 90s and she was still writing her many cards and insisting on writing a small note in each.

As her Christmas cards surrounded her, she often said she’d done nothing special in her life, but I used to tell her to be remembered and loved by so many people was her special gift.  She always loved being with people and having company, whether as the oldest member of the Helmdon young wives club, or at church, or as the foundation stone of our family.  Her birthdays were the natural gathering for her extended family, the pinnacle of which had to be her 100th birthday party, which was just one of the many parties she had that week.  I lost count of how many people attended, there just seemed to be a constant flow of well wishers all afternoon.

Her faith was very important to her as was her music, continuing to play her piano until only a few years ago.  So I can think of no better tribute to her than some words from her favourite hymn:

             All things bright and beautiful

                All creatures great and small

                All things wise and wodnerful

                The Lord God made them all.

Eulogy submitted by David Hinns, Alice Hearne's grandson