Funeral details

Dress for Jo’s funeral at Jo’s request;

Ladies, no black or black with some colour

Gentlemen, don’t feel you have to wear black as with the ladies black with some colour would be good.

Again at Jo’s request no flowers, donations to Katherine House Hospice via J & M Humphries, 32 Albert St Banbury OX16 5DG
tel:-01295 265424

Overspill parking will be confirmed in the next couple of days.

There is a DVD of Jo’s live being put together. There will be some discrete photography by Wendy Wyatt at the funeral at the families request.

GUEST BLOGGER - SARAH EDWARDS - TO JO JO

I Like You

I like you because of this and that......because of what you don't and do
but most because of who you are.....through and through

When there is a chance of happiness (or ice cream) in the air....
you say "yes! Let's go for it". As if "yes" were the most natural of words

I like you because you are yes-y and brave
and because, left up to my own devices, I can be a big chicken about life
"Yes, you can" you always say..............

You help me to balance life, and I help you to do the same
When hard rain falls, I hold an umbrella for you
and when the future gets foggy, you hold hopeful signs for me

We're friends, and I like you yesterday, today, and tomorrow too

Some days we act shady in the shade
and other days, we open up in the sun
Most days, we just go on and on.......

Sometimes, we dress up in dressy clothes and dangerous shoes
and go out with disastrous men in cowboy boots and seersucker suits
and, although we don't say anything bad at the time............
afterwards, we laugh very hard about our worst dates and bad mistakes!

I like being friends with you when the rain pitter-patters the roof
and when the daffodils pop
I like being friends with you when the snow is good for making snowballs,
and we make piles to hide behind and throw at Millie the dog when she walks by......

But sometimes I just like to be alone,
and that's OK because you like to be alone too

But then we always get bored and you come and knock on my door and say
"come out, come out, wherever you are..........."
and I like that too

Sometimes I feel grumpy and ugly, and then we go out shopping for silly hats
because silliness is a lifesaver

You help me forget about myself and remember the bigger picture

Sometimes we like to chum around in boats
Well, I like that more than you do, but you come along for the ride
(even though I ask you to carry the bait)
and even though you don't like water so much "Yuck" you say "yuck" "Yuck"
But you come anyway
and later, I go on the ferris wheel with you.......even though I don't like heights
not one little bit at all
and after, we both feel stretched thin
"Whew!!" we say, being friends can be tiring

Sometimes we don't see each other for a long, long time
I'm on the island of leave me alone, and you're in the city of work work work
or one of us is lost in the city of so-in-love
But I know that if I had a sad something happen to me you would zoom to my side
and you would make a nice cup of tea and we would sip-sip all hokey-yokey like little old ladies
and you would say "uh-huh...........ummmmmmmm, I know, I know....." sort of words
that would fall all around me like rain on a lake
because you understand how peaceful rain on a lake sounds
and, if you ever fell into a big hole, you know I wouldn't say "that's that!" and walk away

NO WAY

I would climb down to help you even if there was only a rope ladder (I don't like rope ladders)
and I would help you up

Everyone knows you can't leave a friend in a big hole

and I know that if I ever got lost at sea, you would look for me
even though the ocean is big, you would say "you are not as lost as you think you are"
and you would be right

But being friends with you isn't all peaches and cream
There are days I truly dislike your ways, and the way you truffle into your snuffles
Sometimes you think I'm not so sporty either
Then I think, who needs friends anyway? I don't have the time or energy for that stuff.....
Hmm, hmm, hm.......I think, life is so peaceful, but peaceful isn't all it's cracked up to be
Alot of things suddenly seem out of balance, and the world seems somehow harder
and after a while it begins to make no sense at all
Sometimes we talk and talk to make it all OK again, or you bump into me in the cereal aisle
and we say "hi-hi", I missed you boo-hoo and it all melts away to nothing

Because friendship is bigger than everything
and we say "let's not lose touch again!" and we nod, but we don't really mean it, because we're just us (not some icky-perfect-goody-two-shoes people who smile all the time and never get mad) - we have flaws and fizzles and foibles - we're friends

I like your true (and kooky) colours - you like my big and moody heart
I like you when we act like kids on the swings
and you like me when we're wicked as witches on Halloween
and we'll be friends until the end of always..................
because liking is a thing that grows and grows (even through the hard parts)

(by Sandy Gingras)

Jo's arranements 25th Sept

The Funeral arrangements for Jo.
the funeral directors are J & M Humphris, 32 Albert St Banbury OX16 5DG tel:-01295 265424

Jo will be taken from the Katherine House on Tuesday the 29 th September and she will be in the chapel of rest for visits by appointment, from Wednesday until the 8th Oct.

The Funeral will take place on Friday the 9th of October at Chacombe Church at 2pm and there after at the Banbury Crematorium Southam rd. (for family and close friends).
Parking in and around Chacombe church is very limited there is some parking in the car park behind the G&D pub gut make sure you buy a drink ,I'm anticipating a very large turn out so I am negotiating extra parking in the adjacent field to the pub. I will let you know as soon as possible if thats ok.

The saddest day of my life

I am sorry to say that Jo passed away peacefully today at 1205hrs.
She will be sadly missed by all her family, friends and colleagues whose help and support has been of enormous comfort over the last few months.
Once arrangements are comfirmed I'll post the details.
We welcome all who wish to join the family in celebrating Jo's life.

Update Sunday 13th Sept

I do apologise for the long gapbut I'm near exaustion after these eight months of watch waiting, the last month has been particlarly distress especiallying since Jo's personality changes - the anger and rejection are the hardest things which are continually directed at me are particularly very difficult to understand. all the theories by the nurses and doctors do nothing to take away the pain I feel every day at being told to go away is unimaginable.

Jo was administered the last Rites on Thursday she was awake and she did her best to participate. and now she has been moved to a room on her on her own - so that her temper tantrums directed at the Doctor and nurses didn't upset the the patience.

I asked the doctor what her best guess was and she said weeks not days, that was 3 weeks ago. the longer she lasts the more pain she suffers and the more agitated she gets. I've given up predicting, I just pray that the end comes sooner than later to give her a happy release. she has been suffering to long. if you go to visit just go in and go right to the end of the Hospice she is in a room behind the ward clerk's desk.

If when you have paid a visit you can post a guest blog it will update and give a different slant on the situation thus making it easier for me.