Eulogy   

 

Karibu  -  which is the Swahili word for  'Welcome'. In fact it is much more than that - it means near to. 

It is the Swahili word which I believe sums up Mum with her very stoic personality.

 

Asanti sana  - Swahili word for  'Thank you'. 

I know that Mum would be very pleased and touched by the number of people here today.

 

Lucy Mary Estelle McFarnell nee Thomson - Mum was born on 5th July 1922 in  Norfolk, England. At the age of six her father Major Thomson purchased a farm in Kitale, Kenya and the whole family moved to Africa. Mum had 2 older sisters Pat and Gill and she joined them at the Loretto Convent School in Nairobi. Mum completed a secretarial course when she finished school. 

In 1942 Mum meet and married Joseph William McFarnell who came to Kenya from South Africa 

. 

David was born June 1944 in Kitale, Kenya. After the war, Mum and Dad went to South Africa and I was born in Germiston, April 1946. They returned to Kenya in time for Jean to be born in February 1948. 14 years later my youngest brother James was born in August 1962 in  Narobi, Kenya. 

 

In 1963 the family settled in Beckenham, Kent and this included Gill and Granny.   People were always welcome at Downs Hill and when any one extra turned up, Mum just added another roast potatoes. Bob Moule a friend of Dave came to lunch and he stayed for 5 years before going out to Australia with Dave. 

 

In 1977, The family of Mum, Dad, James, Gill and Pat moved to Dover. The Sunday lunches were very important to Mum and these continued through until she went in 2000 to live with Jean in Salisbury. This tradition is now carried on by the next generation. A telephone call replaced the Sunday lunch but I know her 85 birthday party was very important to her because so many of the family were able to travel to Salisbury.

 

For the whole family a Christmas holiday in 1954 at Shamoni, Mombasa was a very   treasured memory. My wife Anne and I had talked so much about Kenya but it took our daughter Charlotte to get us to go and our hotel was very near that beach.   

 

On the day Mum died I had taken a video of her office in Mombasa where she had worked as secretary to the Town Clerk and that gave me some comfort, although I was nearly arrested for filming a Government building. I had taken lots of video to show her but hopefully she can watch from up there, reunited with Dad, Pat, Gill and Granny.

 

Kwari Mum -  which is the Swahili word for  'Goodbye' We celebrate your life, we  remember your love for the garden and the birds. Watching countdown and completing the daily crossword and so much more. There are now just 12  Mcfarnells in the World.

 

Mike McFarnell 

Oct 2007