Kitt Boddington (27 Sep 1940 - 23 Jan 2024)

I only met Kit on a few occasions but will always remember her wit & warmth

From the Bromyard Bods with thanks for happy times!

Dear Kitt
We were honoured to have met you

We shared a love of the green garden. We tinkered and planned and shared pots of your soil and hopes. They grow strong in our garden and you are within the petals and pollen.

You looked after our trees, nurtued them so well and they looked after you and your flocks of birds. They still eat of the seeds and we hear their joy. The goldfinches are noisy, you taught them how.

We were honoured to have met you.

We shared a love of your daughter. You gave us her hand and witnessed our family embrace. You understood the special.
We laughed and schemed and made good of those promises. We shared the adventures and possible futures. You were nothing but supportive enveloped in mischief. We will look after her well as your spirit lives on within her.

We were honoured to have met you

We spoke of the boys and what to watch out for, they should all be able to reach their potential. That was you seer. Your support was rock solid and we gazed amazed that they became steely determined and focused on their path. You were their invisible steer.

We were honoured to have met you

We strove over art to find better meaning, you showed us the books that pointed the way. We disagreed over colours but we knew we were blind. Nothing beats a good hallmark if only we could find it. We are still looking now.

We were honoured to have met you.

We told each other stories we shared them so well. Though how much tinkering was only ours to tell. The radical secrets that were shared then forgot.
The mind maps of South London with a tale on each corner that conjured a lady with many brilliant memories.
There isnt a part of that scape that isn't without you even when all crumbles.

We were honoured to have met you.

We strove to be healthy when the odds were against us and your stubborn insistence sustained the next summer. You kept our belief alive as you breathed and we breathed too.

We were honoured to have been at your passing. We whispered those wishes and drank to your life.
May you fly straight and true and join the vast cosmos. We will feel you again soon

We were honoured to have met you.

The Terruli family

GK was a wonderful person. Always a smile on her face. We all miss you.

Dear Kitt, You did a great job in life. Now rest in peace. We’ll carry your memories with us. The German Birds.

In loving memory of an amazing woman. Mike and Kate. Xx

For Kitt, so important to me as a teenager, and a life-long friend.

Dearest Kitt

What wonderful times we had in when Kitt came to Warwickshire to be with me, a 14 year old with siblings away from home. The next chapter commenced at 24 years when we became family. Bunny and Sandy followed, enhancing our lives. I regularly came home from oxford to join the fun.

Kitt was always there for us all. The move to Pembrokeshire was a favourite chapter. She and my father lived a village life with the girls for some time. Kitt's move to London meant a big change, but was quite the best place to be, with her lovely flat and amazing garden. She adored it, and worked so hard on it. Beautiful. It was a great solace not only to her but to her many family and friends. She had many, many friends.

Thank you Kitt for all the fun and chats that we had over the years. And thank you for the amazing legacy of youth you left to continue.

With all our love.

Lindy, Grahame and family

What a wonderful shining light you were Kitt - such a beacon for me as a youngster! Shine brightly now in the hearts of all who love you! Xx

Kitt - A Special Friend

We all think our friends are special, but Kitt certainly was. She was a force of nature and once met, never forgotten. This was felt by most who came into her orbit, and, if accepted, was an honour…she took no prisoners!

She was highly intelligent, wise, kind, non-judgmental, generous, a true giver in life. She collected waifs and strays, supported them, built them up, sending them on their way into the world a better, stronger person. Her volunteer work as a Samaritan further demonstrated her kind, generous, selfless spirit.

Kitt had some interesting jobs. She opened people’s horizons, for example introducing us to the beauty of Wales and her beloved Pembrokeshire. She loved her work at the Museum in Wales which particularly appealed to her artistic, creative nature and ignited her love of Clarice Cliffe, painting pebbles, etc. This was also reflected in the beautiful, phenomenal garden in Peckham which she established from nothing. Her wonderful flat in Peckham was a colourful, joyful haven, reminiscent of a museum, a wonder to behold with all its paintings, objets d’art and fascinating artefacts in every nook and cranny. She surrounded herself with beautiful things and beautiful people.

My first memory of meeting Kitt was when she worked as a counsellor for the charity NABS, The National Advertising Benevolent Society. This charismatic, flamboyant vision came wafting into the room like a ship in full sail. I was immediately overawed, impressed, intrigued, (slightly intimidated if I’m honest.) She was reminiscent of the Grande Dames who open fêtes and country fairs with her long floaty skirt, long scarf and her stunning, bold jewellery, all of which belied her relatively humble and challenging background. From that first day a wonderful, warm friendship was born, built on a mutual love of The Arts and great sense of humour.

Kitt loved her daughters, Bunny and Sandy, and was so proud of what they achieved in their very independent careers and lives, reflective of Kitt’s skills and qualities.

She adored her grandchildren, who adored GK in return. Latterly, she was fortunate to meet her great grandson, Flynn, who was equally lucky to meet his larger-than-life great grandmother, and no doubt, when older, will be regaled with the many interesting tales of her unusual life and derring do…well those that can be told!

Kitt was also very brave, venturing off to France to live on her own in her 60s in a semi ruin in the countryside. She was also incredibly brave in how she dealt with the blow of Parkinson’s and rarely complained. Like everything else in her life, she just got on with it.

Kitt was always renowned for wearing black. She also liked the colour purple, and this poem sums up Kitt and how she lived her life to the full.

 
When I Am An Old Woman I Shall Wear Purple (Actually titled ‘Warning’ and celebrates ageing with panache… so like Kitt!)

When I am an old woman I shall wear purple (or black!)
With a red hat that doesn’t go, and doesn’t suit me
And I shall spend my pension on brandy (or gin!)
and summer gloves
And satin sandals, and say we’ve no money for butter
I shall sit down on the pavement when I am tired
And gobble up samples in shops and press alarm bells
And run my stick along public railings
And make up for the sobriety of my youth
I shall go out in my slippers in the rain
And pick the flowers in other people’s gardens
And learn to spit
You can wear terrible shirts and grow more fat
And eat three pounds of sausages at a go
Or only bread and pickle for a week
And hoard pens, pencils and beer mats and things in boxes
But now we must have clothes that keep us dry
And pay our rent and not swear in the street
And set a good example for the children
We must have friends to dinner and read the papers
But maybe I ought to practise a little now?
So people who know me are not so shocked and surprised
When suddenly I am old, and start to wear purple…
…or in Kitt’s case….BLACK!

Kitt was colourful, charismatic and eschewed convention in all shape and form. She definitely possessed what Barry fondly termed ‘The Silly Gene’ …the highest accolade, an all too rare quality in this life and to be nurtured and cherished. She saw fun and humour in most things.

It is rare in life that you meet someone who truly touches your soul. Kitt did just that… She will be much missed by all whose lives she touched and were all the better for knowing Kitt.

With much love, Lynda and Barry xxx

“No one is finally dead until the ripples they cause in the world die away, until the clock wound up winds down, until the wine she made has finished its ferment, until the crop they planted is harvested. The span of someone’s life is only the core of their actual existence.” – Terry Pratchett

It is rare in life that you meet someone who truly touches your soul. Kitt did just that...She will be much missed by all whose lives she touched and were all the better for knowing Kitt. With much love from Lynda and Barry xxx

In memory of Kitt, the best friend ever. Love E&R xxx

Long, loving memories of a very special lady. Beautiful on the inside and the outside. You meant so much to us. Rest in peace darling. All our love Ann & Paul John xxx