Terri was a first class mum, an amazing sister, Awesome Aunty, Godmother, loyal friend and magical nanny.
Terri was original, she earned the title’ cool mum’ by our friends because she was such a Legend. She had two official Godaughters Louise and Lana with many extras that she took under her wing, Kathy,Mikki, Camilla,Spencer,Lewis,Marie,Helen,Pashet,Suzi,Adam,Tish,Mel, Carol, Debbie, Paul and many others.
When Mum met Lana’s mum, Diane, aged 15 on her first job in littlewoods, she recalls seeing my pretty mum and saying ‘She won’t be any good’ she ended up eating her words, as teenaged Terri was brilliant and they become a great team and close friends. Diane recalls how Mum once chased a shoplifter down Slough high street, wrestling with him in a tug of war to get back the stolen item.
Terri of course won, she never gave up, she was a success at everything she turned her hand too. She worked in Aviation the majority of her life but had little stints in other areas, she ran the show at Burnham couriers, worked in Marks and Sparks, had her own denim shop,(she had such a passion for clothes and shoes) she had a successful cattery and even drove an ambulance for a while..
Her favourite occupation was by far the airport working for top airlines and becamimg chief ringleader of all the girls at golf- air, ground crew, she was known as ‘Number 1’ by her colleagues who earned themselves the title of ‘Charlie’s Angels’, everyday she was part of a new storyline and she loved it, she could sniff out excess baggage immediately and would take no prisoners...she was fantastic on the checkin desk. She got to experience an incredible amount people and situations and kicked so many suitcases onto the belt that she ended up with a knee injury.
She used to tell us about all the stars she had checked in, how she hid Michael Jackson in a cupboard to help him escape his fans. How she met Elton John, Freddie Mercury,,Frank Sinatra and a whole load of other famous people.
She was always in the middle of the most exciting thing to be happening.
She loved working at Heathrow and all the perks that went with it she was always going backwards and forwards to America, like she was going up and down the road to the local store.
She always used to say ‘it’s cheaper for me to fly to America, than to shop in England’ and knowing how good with money she was, it was almost certainly true!
She loved to feel free, travelling the world, making the most of her concessions, taking us to exotic places and making sure we saw as much of the globe as possible, even after she retired her best friends Jane and Lana would keep her well stocked up on air miles so she could keep visiting the US and enjoying lots of beautiful holidays.
If she ever ran out of money, she would mystically find a wad of cash that she had stashed in a secret place for a rainy day,
She found nearly a grand rolled up in the nozzle of the hoover once ...she was so good with money and could survive on as much or as little as she had. She taught us all the credit card shuffle and Martin Lewis was one of her all times hero’s.
She found ways to earn and save giving us the best life she could, She even managed to put me through uni by cashing in her pension to get my fees.
She was fearless in life and fiercly protective, if you were on her watch you were in safe hands. She knew everybody’s movements and why they were making them, which made her a brilliant authority on most things.
She was a conspiracy theorist before they even invented the name for it, always bringing us up to speed with the latest findings.
She loved getting to the bottom of things she used to say she would have made a great detective. She was a shrewd cookie and always kept her cool. She was totally down with the kids, always so young at heart, even when she was in her senior years and asked if she wanted to go bowling ...she replied ‘ No way ‘ that’s for old people ! ‘
Which she never ever considered herself to be, this is the same woman who in her 7Os still went up a ladder with a power tool in her hand. She was a total free spirit in every sense of the word.
She was super creative and loved to make beautiful clothes and knit.
Her colourful bobbly jumpers, with matching leg warmers and hat became a thing in the 80s.
She had such a glamour that whatever she wore she looked stunning, She had so much natural style and charisma. She was kind and thoughtful, strong and loyal, know-one messed with her, she always said it like it was. ‘You have to get up early in the morning to catch me out’ was one of her favourite lines and it was true, especially when it came to Bootsales ! She was the Bootsale Queen and had usually cleaned up before the other punters had even rocked up. You only had to make a request and she would come home with it a week later.
She loved bargain hunting and finding fancy labels, ‘it’s a designer’ another one of her strap lines.
She was a streetwise and clever woman, Today we ask Google, but back then if you didn’ know then you asked ‘Terri’.
She had a way with words and a hilarious dry sense of humour, she was a really naturally funny lady and people loved to be around her as her energy was always so vibrant and dynamic. Even in her later life you would have to keep reminding yourself of her age as she flew around like an absolute domestic goddess, cooking, cleaning, working, gardening and sorting. All her flying around kept her super agile and youthful, even in her senior years she was in and out of the loft like it was going out of fashion.
She loved her houses and decorated them beautifully, ‘Tiny paws cottage’ was her empire, she built a cattery at the bottom of the garden and she made that house magnificent, it was like a showcase home and people loved spending time with her in it.
Later ‘Potterne wood close’ became her sanctuary with her famous secret garden that always blew everyone away when they visited it. She was constantly redecorating and revising themes, expressing her creative flair through interior design, another job she could have happily had a career in, I believe she picked up lots of tips from her friend Joan who designed numerous properties, she loved to visit her in her log cabin in the woods of Virginia.
Mum was such an awesome woman. She was such a giver, everyone left her house with a heart full of sound advice, usually a bag full of clothes or something you commented on in the house that you liked the look of, which would be gifted to you as a souvenir when you you left. She was so generous, you could always guarantee that you would be leaving with a cutting from her Fairy Garden which was so incredibly amazing, everyone wanted a piece of the magic.
All her energy went into it, her skills were inherited from her parents who were both master Gardner’s and she shared her passion with her sisters Kay and Sally.
She adopted all number of birds who came into her pretty sanctuary of flowers. She would show us the nests and the new babies.
Her garden was like something from the ‘Lion the witch and the wardrobe’, the trees had faces and magic was all around. Just like Mary poppins she made everything come to life.
She adopted two pet pigeons George and Mildred who reigned supreme, she was convinced they were her mum and dad coming to visit her in bird form.... mysteriously they left the day mum went to hospital and haven’t returned since she passed ...Jody is convinced he saw them in hospice garden waiting to serenade mum and journey with her to the stars. There was also a cat wandering around to symbolise her life as a cat lover, boarder and breeder. She adored all animals and had a huge array of them throughout her life. They were all her favourites, but her super star cat was always sylvester her black and white Persian , fluff ball stunner, he was such a good looking cat that mum managed to get him cast in a commercial and he became a four legged celebrity.
The British blue in the Sheba advert was also one of her babies, her cats had such a star quality that the sultan of Brunei once requested to be sent a whole entourage of white Persians, one for each of his wives. Mum managed to meet the request and ‘Tiny paws cottage’ shipped out a tribe of kittens to live in the sultans palace.
Dogs were also a huge part of the life over the years ...Sheba, Eliza, Chelsea, Flash, Charlie, Storm, Mitch, Daisy and of course her very own ‘number one,’ furry four legged ziggy dog, who was her best friend in world.
They had such a strong bond. Like his mum he was a super cool dog . A snoop doggy pooch ziggy roller kind of cool,
They were the cutest double act, he had a one trick wonder where he would raise up on his hind legs and give you a high five, it was his only trick but it was a good one and it won mums heart every time.
His furry boots were too big to fill and he would be her last Dog. After a while she got three cats Sailor, Sacha and Suki ....Terri’s furry feline angels ....She was their Boss Lady and they were her crew.
She was everyone’s boss lady !! If she couldn’t help she always knew a man or woman that could.
It was a great comfort to know that at the end of her life she was living with her ‘ three kitty musketeers’ these would be her companions throughout her illness and they would be with her right until the end. They knew her time was drawing near, as sailor would sit with his paw on her staring at her and comforting her with his eyes and energy.
In another life she would have made a great vet, she adopted all sorts of creatures Including a goat rabbits, hedgehogs, coy fish, tortoise, Terrapin, budgies, and people, she was always taking in someone that needed a bit of TLC, usually one of our mates that was going through a difficult time .
She could get you out of any fix and she could fix almost anything, .
we would regularly see her dismantling the Hoover to put it back together again.
She was our hero, our goddess, our Charlie’s Angel and our fairy godmother, she made things fun and was exceptionally strong when it came to a serious situation, she always fixed us when we broke. I’ll never forget how she removed a pair of scissors that were stuck in my head after tripping over my dads feet.
And how she did butterfly stitches on my brothers eye when we were on holiday.
We used to say how lucky we were to have a mother and father rolled into one. You couldn’t find a more dedicated , devoted mum than her.
She was the life and soul of anywhere she went. The world is a different place having had Terri leave her mark. Those that knew her will agree she was one in a million and they definitely broke the mold when they made her. We can only pray that we keep growing up to be like her, she was the best mum in the world and she gave us everything!
She even had magic wand in the form of an oversized ruler that retrieved lost items from the land of missing things.
She loved to kit people out for next to nothing. As a single mum she had to learn to hussle and she was brilliant at it. Mind you she was a stunningly beautiful woman, mostly she didn’t have to try that hard as it was impossible to say no to such a pretty lady.
She had an enchanting glamorous kind of beauty, a show stopper of a smile. That was always accompanied with sparkly eyes and an endearing cheekiness.
Her energy for life was incredible and her enthusiasm was contagious. Whatever she was into you soon followed suit, she had her finger on the pulse of life. She knew what was going down, nothing phased her or scared her, she dealt with her Dis-ease like an absolute trooper, even the day before she passed she was still trying to get up and out of the bed to go home. She was so independent, right up until her last breath,
She was always such a go getter, She loved to keep a clean tight ship. She never stopped, she used every moment down here to it’s fullest.
Mums transition was the most sacred , dignified , elegant , noble, heroic ascension that we could have ever hoped for... With her children and sister by her side .
Her transcendence was the most intense and magical experience of our lives. She was our Queen and it was such a comfort to know that she was treated like one with dignity and respect by all who cared for her at the end.
She was fearless and met her maker in the highest state of consciousness with so many souls praying for her smooth Transition.
Since she has left we feel closer to her than ever before and although our hearts are broken that we will never see her physical form again, we rejoice in the fact that she is now with us in every moment as she lives on inside of us and her three beloved grandchildren, Kosmo, Kaliki and Luna. These three little munchkins idolised their nanny Terri and couldn’t wait for her cuddles and kisses.
They worshipped her and she adored them.
She was perfect and it’s only in her passing that we receive all her lessons and teachings as we never truely know what we have untill it’s gone. Not a day will go by where she won’t continue to teach us from her heavenly throne We will hold her in our hearts for eternity, full of joy and gratitude for the gift of life she bestowed.
Mum we salute you .To be cut from your cloth is a very high honour and we pray that we continue to make you proud of us, hoping that one day our kids will speak this fondly of us when we are gone. You were always our ‘Number One’ ! To be honest there wasn’t anyone in the race when you are around, you were always going to win. Although your illness overwhelmed you at the end, you were still victorious ,in your final hours you showed us what it is to be a warrior. You are our greatest teacher and best friend, we wish you the most magnificent journey to the stars, with all your guides, angels amd ancestors to show you the way.
I have a feeling that you are going to enjoy being everywhere at once. Just so long as a piece of you always stays firmly in our hearts. Sleep well mum. Rest in peace and take your place beside your creator in the loving arms of great spirit knowing that you lived your life to the full.
The world was always a better place with you in it, now that you have left, heaven has gained a first class ‘Charlie’s’ Angel of the highest order and we have gained the full expression of our mothers soul as she returns to source.
Heaven is lucky to have such a goddess.
Mum once told me that her dad had a saying ‘let’s get the hell out of here’ when he was ready for home time. She shared that these were her mums last words when she passed, although our mum didn’t speak at the end, she did open her eyes one last time and I’m sure they were the words she would have said, closely followed by her other favourite saying ....
‘Onwards and Upwards’
Rise in peace Terri
Your our hero
Love you Mum
Sweet dreams
‘Number 1’