Fliss was born just over there, about 150 yards behind me at No 4 Front Street.

She came into this world on the 15th of October 1954, the youngest of Five siblings. Robert the eldest, born in 1942 then John in 1946, Kitty in 1947 and Carole in 1948 and last but not least little Fliss as she was affectionately known.

Their dad Sidney was a Driver at Palmer Man Salt works and later a driver at Fodens. Mum Phyllis worked at the Silk Mill in Sandbach Until she started her family and later at the Leonard Cheshire home, along with (I found out years later) my Mum.

 

Like all kids born before the invention of the micro chip and all that followed, she had an Idyllic childhood, running up and down Front Street and playing down by the brook in the woods.

We walked along the trail into Brook Wood during lock down and I could see in Fliss's eyes how much she loved the place, in fact, Fliss's ashes will be scattered there in the coming weeks.

 

Fliss grew into a lovely young lady and when she was fifteen started work at Summit Travel in Sandbach, where she would work for the next 30 years.
Summit Travel was owned by John and Margaret Middleton who took Fliss under their wing and became a kind of second Mum and dad to her.

Fliss also formed a lifelong friendship with Annie, their daughter.

She worked for the Middletons until they retired but they never forgot about Fliss and right up until their deaths they would arrive at our door every Christmas with a card a present for her.

 

Fliss was married in 1972 And had two baby girls with her first husband.

Sharon arrived in February 1973 and Hayley in August 1974

The marriage didn't work out and they divorced.

Fliss was left to raise the two girls on her own. They had a pretty tough time of it but got through the rough years and Sharon and Hayley grew up to be beautiful young women.

 

Leaping forward to 1992

 

I was drinking in the Tavern one night when a lovely young lady came round collecting glasses. It was Fliss ,who I knew slightly as Both of us had lived in Sandbach all our lives.

It turns out that Fliss didn't work there, she was just helping out, a trait which I would see more and more of as the years went by.

I can't remember what my chat up lines were but It was probably something that only I found hilarious.

 

A few months later I moved in with Fliss, to the obvious delight of her two daughters who were over the moon with my arrival... NOT!!

Hayley in particular took umbrage at my comment on a micro skirt she was about to go out in. I won't go into detail but Hayley made it quite clear that I was not her favourite person.

But as time went by I won them over and I love them both dearly.

 

Fliss and I got off to a shaky start, as I was away a lot playing drums in a band and as such was as poor as a church mouse. I was working at the time also but spending far to much money on beer and thinking only of myself, a trait which had got me fired from two previous relationships.

Fliss said that she didn't want to live this kind of life and of course she was right! I gave up the band stopped drinking so much and eventually got a better paid job.

 

For the first time in both our lives we had disposable income.

Our first holiday was on the Greek island of Crete, we had a great time travelling up and down the coast on a 50cc moped, Fliss nor I could be described as Petite but the poor thing managed to keep going.

We went on many more holidays around the med, including Santorini, Zakithos, Rhodes, Corfu and twice more to Crete! We also had several holidays in Turkey. We went to Majorca, Minorca and Ibiza. We went to Bulgaria and Croatia, not forgetting Lanzaroti!

But the holiday we enjoyed most was our trip to Thailand in 2019.

 

We flew out to meet our friends Andy and Edwina, we stayed one week in Bangkok and then sailed to the Island of Kho Kood for the second and I celebrated my 61st birthday while we were there.

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We rumbled along at home just like most couples do, just doing the day to day stuff but sometimes like all couples we would have disagreements.

If we did run into a problem we'd sit down and put both our points forward and then we'd do what Fliss said, the world just seemed to work better that way.

 

The fact that I can't spell and that Fliss could never put an answer in the right place never stopped us from loving crosswords, we would break down in hysterics looking at the mess we had made and had to abandon many as there were so many corrections and crossings out it looked like a spider had fallen into a bottle of ink and then run across the page.

 

Before I was properly trained, we used to spend a lot of time in the Cheshire Cheese in Wheelock, on Sundays we'd all sit around the big table in the window, do the crossword, tell jokes and generally have a good time.

On special occasions like New Years Eve, Fliss (After one too many vodkas) would run around the pub with an empty beer bottle pretending it was a microphone, she'd thrust the bottle into peoples faces, expecting them to sing.... And they sang.

 

In 2002 Sharon and Johnny presented us with our first Grandson Korban, Fliss spoiled him to death right from the start and Korbs loved every minute.

In 2004 we all went on a family holiday to Corfu to celibate Fliss's 50th birthday, we had a fantastic time, every Greek lady who saw Korban wanted to take him home, we were lucky to get him back to the UK!

 

Four more grand kids would arrive in the coming years, Sharon had Finn in. 2007 and also in 2007 Hayley and Brett got in on the act when Zak arrived to be followed in 2011 by Jensen and last but not least in 2012 Sharon and Jason brought Harrison to the party.

 

Fliss was made to be a granny, she was the right shape, the right size and later on when she stopped dying her hair and it turned grey, the perfect granny.

She loved all five with equal measure and it was a joy to watch her with them.

They all stayed weekends with us at one time or another and she would play endless games with them, read endless stories to them and we'd take them for walks up and down the canal. I know as they grow to be young men they will carry lovely memories of their gran with them.

 

Fliss was a completely selfless person, not once did she ever think about herself, she was always doing things for others including the last few years when she nursed both my parents as they came to the end of their lives.
Fliss was particularly fond of my dad who suffered with Alzheimer’s , she'd sing songs with him, have him do exercises while sitting in his chair, she was an angel and I've lost count of how many times she made the journey to Leighton hospital with one or the other when I was still working full time.

 

We lost Fliss's sister Carol in January 2020, my Dad in February 2020, My mum in November 2021 My cousin Phil in July 2022 but for me the worst blow came last January 2022 when Fliss was diagnosed with terminal Pancreatic cancer and was given four to five months to live.

 

From then until her death Fliss faced her situation with the sort of grit and determination a front line soldier would be proud off and only on two occasions did I see her sorrow turn to tears.

Only six weeks ago Fliss felt well enough to spend a little time at an annual party held by our friends Andy and Edwina, everyone was so happy to see her and for a couple of hours she really enjoyed herself,

it was also a chance for Fliss to say goodbye to everyone.

The photo there on her coffin was taken at that party and was to be her last.

 

About four weeks ago Fliss found she could no longer get up the stairs and from then on she was confined to our bedroom.

Her wish was to die at home in her own bed and we were determined to grant her that wish. We installed a TV and a fan, as it was very warm then and kept a constant vigil at her bedside.

 

 

There was a constant stream of people coming into the house to see her including one day all four son in laws, two past and two current and if that doesn't demonstrate the high regard people had for her then nothing will.

 

In the last week of her life Fliss's condition quickly worsened and at 6.15 on the evening of 31st August cancer claimed it's prize and this little ball of loveliness was taken away from us.

 

Fliss was a kind, generous, caring lovely person and never once thought of herself and if I'm honest, she was far to good for the likes of me.

 

Her boss Tony Ashmore once said “If I could employ three Fliss's I would be a happy man”

We had one Fliss and that's all we needed, a world with none is a very dark place indeed.

 

What the future holds I don't know?, but where ever I go, and what ever I do Fliss will always be with me, here in my heart and I will love her until the day I die...