Sharon StephensSend a message to

Sharon Stephens

Sharon Stephens

We would like to thank you for joining us for this short memorial service for our mother, Freda Stephens, who died on 29 December 2021. These Covid times have made arrangements much more difficult to meet together in large numbers, so we have created a memorial web page and this talk to celebrate and commemorate the life of our mother. We want to take this moment to express our gratitude, thankfulness and appreciation for the love and care shown to us during our lives by mum. She was an extraordinary mother who gave so much of herself to love and care for her family. It was heart-breaking that mum had to spend the last 4 months in hospital. Jeremy and Sharon were with her throughout much of that time, but they were very grateful for the many visits of her good friend Sian White-Camm. We were there during her last couple of days and nights holding her hand and talking to her as she was losing consciousness. Even during her illness, mum enjoyed speaking with Sharon as she could bring out mum’s fun side, and Sharon could always make her smile. During the year before hospitalisation, mum had been getting progressively worse at home. Jeremy and Sharon were ever present with her and she also spoke with Kim on the phone regularly and Kim loved mum dearly for all the help she gave since she was diagnosed with MS. But we would also like to thank her dear friends Sian White-Camm, Carole and Bob Pearson, David and Kay Niven, who kept in regular contact, and visited and helped her at her home. Bridget Montgomery was also a long-time friend, who mum enjoyed spending time with and speaking on the phone regularly. We mention these by name as they were frequently in contact with mum, but we would also thank many others, who visited and phoned mum, too many to name over the years. It also meant a lot to us that many who had known mum most of her life kept in contact. These included her long-time friends Carole Pearson, Barbara Davies, Alwyn Protheroe, Bob and Kate Morton and mum’s niece, Megan Lydiard. Those of you who knew mum, will know that she would often worry for those who had difficult and sad times. She would try to help and be kind in practical ways to those in need. She loved her family and could be a force of nature when it came to helping us. She was determined and left no stone unturned in finding ways to help. That determination meant that she achieved things in her life above and beyond what could normally be expected when helping her family and others. Mum’s determination and worry about health problems could be explained by understanding a little about the very difficult experiences in her life. When just a young mum in her twenties, her mother became severely ill, suffering from Motor Neurone Disease, and mum had to nurse her for several years as she suffered a very distressing illness until she died. Less than ten years later, Kim, as a teenager, was diagnosed with severe Multiple Sclerosis. Mum and dad rallied around and left no stone unturned trying to find ways to help Kim. This was to be a lifelong endeavour for mum. Mum also had to nurse her father for 5 years as his lung disease gradually claimed his life in December 1997. Just a few years later our dad became ill and for the next 5 years he deteriorated, but mum cared for him with love and fortitude at home, until he died in January 2005. Such experiences would take their toll on any person. It certainly affected mum’s freedom to pursue some of the things in life that she enjoyed. But mum faced the challenges with incredible strength, determination and love. That is how we will always remember mum and we appreciated the love she showed us. Mum loved old films; her favourite was ‘Gone with the Wind’. Every year she would watch it and recite the lines. She loved musicals and dancing; she was a great person to have on your pub quiz team when it came to movies. While it was difficult for her to pursue her own interests, inside her was a girl who wanted to have some fun and enjoyed spending time with people. We hope some of the photos in the slide show will give you glimpses of the things she enjoyed and she would have loved to do more of, if her life had not been so affected by illnesses. It is lovely to see mum’s wonderful smile in many of the photos, to see her happy smile again is what we long for according to our faith. You may know mum was a Jehovah’s Witness for over 45 years. Mum would never miss an opportunity to talk about her faith and the hope she had for a wonderful future. She was bold, and she enjoyed doing it because she wanted to help people. During her last days we spoke often about the future paradise earth that the bible promises to those who have faith. Mum had that faith, and she believed in the bible promise to bring those who have died back to life onto that future earth. Jesus gave a glimpse of the power he will be given in the future to resurrect, when raising his friend, Lazarus, back to life on earth. Jesus described it in the bible as waking Lazarus from sleep. That is how we now view mum, being ‘asleep’ until she is woken up soon back to young vibrant life on a paradise earth. Mum had confidence that things would improve because she believed the words of Jesus regarding the Lord’s Prayer recorded at Matthew 6:10 – Let your Kingdom come. Let your will take place, as in heaven, also on earth. What would God’s Will for the Earth be? Mum’s favourite scripture answered that, at Revelation 21:3-5 3 With that I heard a loud voice from the throne say: “Look! The tent of God is with mankind, and he will reside with them, and they will be his people. And God himself will be with them. 4 And he will wipe out every tear from their eyes, and death will be no more, neither will mourning nor outcry nor pain be anymore. The former things have passed away.” 5 And the One seated on the throne said: “Look! I am making all things new.” Also he says: “Write, for these words are faithful and true.” Our lasting memories of my mum will be; she was hardworking, a figure of strength who was compassionate in her support and love for her family. She suffered much heartache during her life, but never allowed it to stop her helping people. She was a force of nature when she needed to be. Some may not have seen her playful and fun side, but to those who loved her and took the time to know her story, know she enjoyed the chance to have some fun and she wanted life to be fair for all. The Covid 19 lockdowns and isolation were among the worst things that could have happened to mum, because she loved going out for a meal or coffee with friends, and having company. We hope you enjoy the slide show we have put together. We particularly liked the photos of mum and dad when they were a young married couple, because that is how we hope to see them again soon, because we share her faith that we will all be together again in the new earthly paradise promised in the Bible. To learn more about the future hope for the earth, and how our dead loved ones can be raised to life again, the following website answers these and other important questions. https://www.jw.org/en/ Prepared and contributed to by: Jeremy and Sharon Stephens (Son and daughter-in-law) and Kimberley Trick (Daughter)

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