A beautiful gift left to the Hospice

A huge thank you to all of Joan’s family for the wonderful and very poignant gift that will brighten up our garden and provide a safe and quiet place for patients, families and volunteers to enjoy. We hear from Joan’s sister Libby about why this gift to the Hospice means so much to everyone.

Joan was a beautiful person much loved by her Mother Bette, Sister Libby, Brother in Law Billy and her extended family of Aunts, Uncles and Cousins. She died aged 56 years in December 2016 following a 19 month battle with Ovarian Cancer.

Joan had a wonderful personality, in company she made people feel at ease and it was never long before the room was filled with laughter. Making people laugh wasn’t her only gift, she was hugely talented from building kitchens to making curtains, decorating to car maintenance. She was very creative and was always happy to use her skills to create something new. One of her passions was her garden and nature, she spent many hours there growing beautiful arrays of flowers and a great selection of vegetables. Joan marveled at bees, butterflies and even tiny ants going about their intricate work, she never tired of the wonders of nature.

Joan was and still is, very special to us.  We adored her and we wanted our choice of memorial to capture that and also reflect her bright personality, some of what she loved in life and colours that either had a special meaning to Joan or to us, her family. The Purple grasses represent Blue Statis a flower Joan grew in her garden, she loved its vibrant colour, the Blue Butterfly we chose to represent her beautiful blue eyes, the Red Flowers are painted ‘Poppy Red’ chosen for its name, Joan’s beloved pet Spaniel is called Poppy, the Jade and Peach flowers represent the colours she wore when acting Bridesmaid at my Wedding. It reminds us of a day when she was carefree, full of joy and radiance. Finally the Bee, Dragonfly and Butterfly remind us that Joan appreciated even the tiniest things life had to offer.

The Rose laid on the bench is a cutting from a rose bush which was named after Joan and presented to Joan on her 50th Birthday…..  it is called “Seonaid’s Surprise”. Seonaid is Gaelic for Joan and was our ‘pet’ name for her. Though not planned Joan’s bench has been installed at her birthday….so Happy Heavenly Birthday our Precious Seonaid. It seemed fitting to remember her with hervery own rose today.

We shared many happy times with Joan, she brought joy into many people’s lives and now we hope that by donating the bench to the Hospice that legacy can live on. with its array of colour and features we hope it will bring happiness and help brighten the day for patients, their families and staff for many years to come.

Our thanks go to Accord Hospice for the care and attention given to Joan and for the ongoing support to her family. Also thanks to David Ogilvie Engineering for helping us create a fitting and lasting tribute to our Daughter and Sister Joan.

Bette, Libby and Billy

A huge thank you from all at ACCORD for this beautiful gift.