Some years ago, Rose said she was going to adopt Ken, who had treated her like 'Mum' since, giving her meals, presents & a stream of postcards from out travels. Unfortunately, Rose just failed to reach her 98th birthday, dying in hospital on September 13th after futile & unpleasant attempts to resucitate her, something we would all be well advised to forbid when our own time comes. Born in 1911, Rose had regaled us with stories of the First World War. In the Second, she had to nurse her husband back to strength after Dunkirk but, as he was a Railway Linesman, he spent the rest of the war restoring bombed railway track, so in a sense, they were lucky. Not so with sons. One miscarried & another, the twin of Rose's daughter Carole, lived only a few days. A much respected member of the Lilian Baylis Arts Club, Rose only dropped out of the Modern Ballet Group, the "Company of Elders" at the age of 94, which tells one a lot about Rose. She was unlucky in her last couple of years to be dropped from the St Luke's Old People's Club catchment area, so the minibus stopped picking her up, which may have contributed to her early death. Carole aked Ken to say a few words at the funeral, which he did.