Pauline Dorothy Jones (2 May 1936 - 2 Sep 2015)

In loving memory of Pauline Dorothy Jones who sadly passed away on 2nd September 2015

Pauline is my mother. Proud, independent and full of spirit. She is never one to suffer fools gladly but to help, offer assistance to those who needed it and to enjoy life to the full.

Mum was born in the farming village of Tollerton. Youngest by many years of three sisters she told me about playing in the fields, with dogs and watching the planes on the aerodrome. She moved to Mapperley when she started school as other members of the family lived there. The big old house on Hazel Grove I remember as a child.

I know that her Dad, my grandfather, died when she was just 11 years old. Responsibility arose early for Mum.

Working as one of the comptometer operators at Players, she went dancing in the ballrooms of Nottingham. Family was a strong tie and with two older, married sisters, she learnt to look after herself and her Mum.

She met Charlie, married and had me and Karen. One of her achievements was to get the very last Council fixed rate mortgage on the family home in Chilwell. She used to send me, then later Karen, to pay the mortgage at the offices in Beeston.

There were rabbits, guinea pigs, goldfish and Lassie the dog. Sunny days, snow on the back lawn, holidays on the east coast and teaching Karen and me to read and to do our sums. Football in the street, cricket in the summer. Our gang. Encouraged by Mum. There was a family car. There are memories of us pushing the car then later more reliable cars doing the run to Chapel St Leonards.

Mum told me she hated school and both me and Karen can relate to that. Mum learnt enough to guide both of us and then sent us off into the wide world the better and the stronger for her teaching. Charlie, Mum's first husband, died in 1991 but by then Mum had met and settled with Wally Jones. Wally allowed Mum to lead her own life.

Insightful and always to the point she built a second life with Wally. She had been organising Greens paper shop when we were growing up. You didn't argue with Mum as everyone knew her or of her. Us kids off her hands, she learnt about computers, successors to Comptometers. She learnt about brick laying, concrete skimming, paints and all manner of electrical products. She learnt about being a grandmother, getting councillors and MPs to listen. In my years in Finance I never met anyone who could stretch money as well as she could. Fools were destroyed then educated how to do things properly. Wally passed away but nothing deflected Mum. That was when her own holidays started. All of the places she had read about growing up. Bus trips were ok but parascending was more exciting. The only time customs ever stopped her was on her very first trip to the channel islands. I saw the haggard staff coming out of the customs hall that time and she was never stopped again. To european cities and to see Mickey Mouse she went.

When my wife passed away in 2000 it was Mum who worked out how I could carry on working and still bring up the children. My youngest tells you that he had 3 Mums as he grew up. When I need help she was there. Then Karen could do with some help so again, Mum was there. Its almost a motto...Mum was there. For me and Karen, for Nick, Vicki, Jack, for Jamie and Matthew and many others.

MPs looked forward to their surgeries when Mum had a bee in her bonnet.

Mum had the gift of teaching us all but letting us find our own way. Encouragement and the safety net of knowing she was always there. We learnt our independence, our stubbornness, our fairness and how to bend but not break the rules partly from Mum. We have our confidence. She had integrity.

Now, for the first time, she isn't there anymore. Her time to rejoin Wally and her beloved father. We who are left behind have to carry on without her standing behind us. We won't let her down because we were well trained, taught by the best.

We all owe her as Mum, Grandma, Pauline, Mrs Jones, Mrs Tacey.
We are all the better for knowing her and that includes those she tangled with
She has followed and is now with those she particularly cared for and will be there again when its our turn.