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Kathleen Roberts

(17th January 1927 - 22nd November 2021)

Kathleen Roberts

17/1/1927 – 22/11/2021

Kathie was born Kathleen Coles 17-Jan 1927 in “Southwood”, the house that she lived in all her long life. It was a world we can barely imagine now with fires in the tiny grates in every room and the boiler being specially fired up for hot water for laundry and baths.

Southwood was built by her grandfather and occupied then by her grandparents and mother. Many people have passed through Southwood since – American soldiers billeted during the war, friends from Hersham, friends from work, friends from overseas, children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Everyone welcomed with a cup of tea.

As a girl she did well at school and gained a place at Tiffin Girls School.

Stories include the headmistress marching the whole school down to the Thames when it was frozen in winter 1941. “You girls will never see this again in your lifetime” (she was right)

Through the Guides she worked as a nurse in the war, even as a very young girl – cycling all the way to St Peters in Chertsey during the blackout until her granddad put a stop to that as too dangerous – she continued working at Rodney Road.

She taught a Sunday School class and played the piano there.

After matriculating she worked at County Hall, Kingston as a shorthand typist, then later worked in a similar capacity at Bullens offices in Olympia.

Stories from this time include being sneaked into the Ideal Home exhibition, for which Bullens did all the “shifting” – let in a fire exit, she & her friend found herself right near the Queen as she was being shown around the exhibition on its first day. (Not much Security back then)

There were a particular bunch of friends around in those days, most of whom worked at Hackbridge-Hewitt – like most of Hersham.

That bunch of twenty-somethings were interested in cars. They would go to see the racing at Brands Hatch, and turned up with a contraption on a trailer that one of them had built which unfolded to create a precarious stand for a dozen or more. (Not much Health & Safety back then)

Her friends included Nigel Roberts, who she would marry in 1950.

He was an engineer and left the Hackbridge factory to set up, with the Wright brothers, a garage to fix cars at Walton Station goods yard.

There was also the small matter of a couple of kids – Clive & Tony (1953 & 1957).

After us children grew out of being mewling infants Kathie, also worked at the garage, in the office typing out estimates and invoices until it changed ownership in the 90s

The main part of her life was work. Work at work, and work at home keeping the house, looking after her aging mother.

Running a small business like that meant there was little time for holidays.

When, finally Dad retired and sold the business they had more time for that, but they never went far. A cottage in the Cotswolds or Cornwall was their ideal, where they could take gentle walks with their little dachshund, but only for a week.

She was always a member of St Peter’s Church and took a class for Sunday School – playing the piano for their hymns and songs.

Later, she would be on both the flower rota and the cleaning rota for the church, right up until she simply could not do it anymore.

But I am forgetting the main thing: Throughout all the phases of her life and all the people she met I never heard one say she was anything other than lovely, kind and generous. That’s what she was, and that’s how she will always be.

Kathie passed away very quietly and it is not possible to express fully how sad we are at her leaving us.

She lived what can be described as a quiet life but she touched the lives of so many positively that it does not seem enough to say that.

She loved everyone equally, universally and always tried to see the best in every person she met. Even though she was severely hallucinating almost from the very day of her fall, she stayed true to herself even in her dream life, comforting herself with the busy, happy theatre of all the people in her past.

She was full of love, for us and for her many, many friends who all will miss her terribly. To the very end, she stayed full of love.

She was at the centre of our lives and it is a different world without her.

Charity Donation In Memory of Kathleen Roberts

Donate to Macmillan Cancer Support

You can choose to make your donation amount private, if you wish.

Macmillan Cancer Support Donations

John and Pauline Palmer

In loving memory of Kathie Roberts who was a wonderful support to all of us xxx

£200.00 + £50.00 Gift Aid


Anonymous

£50.00 + £12.50 Gift Aid


Anonymous

£50.00 + £12.50 Gift Aid


Anonymous

£50.00


Val Ball

In loving memory of my very special friend, from Val Ball and Caroline, Jon and James


Anonymous

£50.00 + £12.50 Gift Aid


Anonymous

£25.00 + £6.25 Gift Aid


Obituary

Macmillan Cancer Support

£425.00 + Gift Aid of £93.75

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A Few Kind Words...

“Thank you very much indeed for all your professionalism, support and guidance throughout the whole process involved in caring for my mother.

From the moment we met the staff at Holmwood Nursing Home until my collection of thank you notelets for my father to use I felt that everything was conducted in a most efficient and sensitive manner. I know that Clive spent a good deal of time with you and I was so pleased that we were able to have such a beautiful service very soon after the passing of our dear mother and wife. With thanks once again”

Jane Reg & Clive

“Dear David and Hannah,
Just a quick note to say thank you so much for all your help and support over the last month or so.
The funeral was just as it should have been.
Your staff were lovely and the day went without a hitch.”

Michele & Caroline

“I cannot believe that a month has passed since we first met, the day after Brian died. Within a short time of our encounter, I know that an occasion I had always dreaded would be transformed into a positive, memorable occasion – and so it was!

Your warm and practical attitude, as well as highly professional advice, immediately instils confidence. Every detail of the proceedings is meticulously explained and I felt completely relaxed. Thank you Jess for making everything work so well. You are a remarkable lady with a definite vocation and I wish you all the very best for the future. I felt I found a real, new friend, just when I needed it most.”

Irene

“We would like to thank you for a friendly and professional service and especially Adam who made a good job of the service, and a big thanks to Jane who was a great help and showed much kindness. We would recommend your company.”

Chris & Mike Whalen

“We would like to thank you very much for looking after Mum and for all the arrangements you made for her funeral last Thursday. Your professionalism, help and ready advice together with your sensitivity at such a difficult time was much appreciated by us all. Our best regards.”

Nigel, Colin Ian & Coraine Ferguson

“Thank you for all your kind attention during the funeral of my husband John on the 24th May. The arrangements were so efficiently and sympathetically handled that it lifted a huge burden from my shoulders. I enclose a cheque in favour of the Alzheimer’s Society in memory of my beloved John.”

Catherine Waterman

“Dear Fran

I just wanted to drop you an email to thank you for all your care and support in the arrangements for my dad, John.

I know that my Mum, Valerie, was most grateful for your support and care, particularly last Friday which was a difficult day for her. Mum said to me that you went over and above in her eyes, making sure she was ok before you would let her leave.

Dad would have highly approved of the day yesterday, and that’s all we could have asked for. It really was the celebration of his life that he would have wanted.

Again, my sincerest thanks and gratitude to you all.”

Helena

“Dear John,

Thank you for the wonderful service, support and help you offered me and the way you looked after my partner Bob, after he passed away.

From the professionalism and courtesy your team showed on that most traumatic moment – taking Bob from our house – to your kindness, and surefooted advice, the recommendation of the Celebrant, and then your kindness in coming to the cremation as well.

It’s been the hardest month or so of my life and yet I was so pleased with how the service went, the wonderful order of service you arranged and helped me with and of course the music as well. Throughout it all you treated me with respect, dignity and gave me such helpful advice. I’m not sure I would have managed well without that. Even more, I can now look back and reflect that the day went well and represented my partner and our love so well.

I think it’s important to thank people when they have done such a great job.”

Douglas

“Dear Beth,

Just a short note from all of us to say “Thank You” for all the effort that you applied to ensure that Sarah’s funeral passed so seamlessly.

If it can be described as a “Great Day” (which I know will sound odd) I mean it purely in terms of the balance between sadness and celebration was met – that also the weather was perfect, the co-ordination between service and committal was excellent, the flowers so beautiful and everyone played their part so well. It was largely down to you that it did work so well.

So a “Big Thank You”

Barry, Jemma, Matthew, Josie and William

“Dear Jo,

Thanks so much for all you did leading up to the funeral. None of us could have got through it without your support.

Many thanks for everything you did for us, for all your help and for making a very sad day so easy. Your support has been amazing.

A huge thank you. Your dedication made saying farewell to Mum all the more bearable.”

Sue, Vicki, Clare & Richard

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