Margaret Meek King (29 Apr 1930 - 26 Oct 2017)

In loving memory of Margaret Meek King who sadly passed away on 26th October 2017

Music on Arrival
Second Hand Rose, Barbara Streisland

Good afternoon. My name is Elizabeth Clarke, I am a Civil Funeral Celebrant.
I warmly welcome you all to the Pentland Chapel today as we gather together in love and in friendship to celebrate the life and honour the memory of Margaret Meek King.
In coming here today you would quite naturally have thought that you were here to mourn Margaret’s passing, but for the next little while I would encourage you to join me in celebrating her life; to give thanks for the life that she lived and for all that her life meant to us, and we will wish her a fond farewell now that our time with her is over.
While this is an occasion for sorrow, it is also an occasion for thanksgiving because we are grateful for the gift of life, and we are grateful that Margaret lived among us.
Margaret had reached the wonderful age of eighty seven and had been able to remain living in her own home at Mauricewood Road thanks to the help and support she received from her family. In fact, she was looking forward to one more house move which would have seen her moving in with her son Gary and his wife Jacquelyne but sadly this was not to be.
When Margaret became unwell, she was admitted to the Midlothian Community Hospital prior to be transferred to the Western General Hospital where she appeared to be making some improvement. Sadly, however, she quite suddenly passed away on the 26th October, 2017, twenty years to the day and to within twelve minutes of the time that her beloved Bill passed away.
I know that sometimes in our grief we can only feel the pain of a loved one passing, but we must remember that in having reached the age that she did, Margaret must have also been feeling a bit tired and weary and so we should be happy for her that her pain and suffering is over, that she is now sleeping in a long and peaceful sleep, and her spirit is free.
Let us also be comforted from the thought that she has found Bill and that they are together again, for all time to come.
In a minute or two it will be my privilege to share some of Margaret’s life with you but before I do, I would like to offer you all some words of comfort. I would like to think that this is a message she would want you all to hear:
Afterglow
I’d like the memory of me
To be a happy one.
I’d like to leave an afterglow of smiles
When my life is done.
I’d like to leave an echo
Whispering softly down the ways
Of happy times and laughing times
And bright and sunny days.
I’d like the tears of those who grieve
To dry before the sun
And replace them with happy memories
That I leave when my life is done.
Helen Lowrie Marshall

Remembering Margaret …

And so we are here today to celebrate Margaret’s life, a life which began in Falkirk on the 29th April, 1930. She was the eldest of five children born to Jeannie and Henry McEwan, having a sister, Betty, and three brothers, Tommy, Ian and Harry. Sadly, Margaret was the last of her generation to pass away.

The family moved to Edinburgh when Margaret was quite young, moving house a few times before eventually settling in Broomhouse. I think moving house so often must have been in her genes as in years to come, Margaret would also move house on more than a few occasions!

Sadly, when Margaret was only ten years old, her father was killed in the war and so, being the eldest, it fell to her to help raise her younger brothers and sister while her Mum had to go to work. Having to take care of the family meant that Margaret’s childhood was cut short quite suddenly.

On leaving school at the age of fourteen, Margaret found work in Patrick Thomson’s and she was able to attend night school to study art. She then went on to work in the laundry at Longstone, and by the time she married Bill, she was working as a Clerkess.

Margaret met Bill at a party when he turned up with a pile of 78s records but unfortunately they couldn’t be played because the people having the party didn’t have a record player!

They were married in St. Aiden’s Church in Edinburgh on the 17th March, 1950, and enjoyed a honeymoon in Callendar. They began married life living with Margaret’s Mum in Broomhouse and then moved to a farm cottage in Balerno. Bill then found work at Bilston Glen Colliery and he commuted every day from Balerno to Bilston and back again on his motor bike and so they made the wise move to find a house in Penicuik.

During the intervening years, though, they became the most proud and loving parents to Jennifer, Gary and Ron. Margaret just loved being a housewife and a Mum.

But in the blink of an eye, the family had grown with the addition of five grandchildren, Laurie, Jamie, Jody, Roxanne and Beth, and has grown even more with the addition of six great grandchildren, Hannah, Sophie, Flynn, Emily, Isabella and Daniel.

Tragically, Ron, her youngest son, passed away while in his forties as a result of cancer, and Margaret has kept in touch with his wife, Lynn, since his death.

Margaret always showed a keen interest in how the grandchildren were getting on, always asking after them and hearing all their news.

Margaret and Bill enjoyed socialising and as Margaret was a beautiful singer, he always offered her up to sing at the Penicuik Miners Club and the Newcraighall Miners Club. She and her sister, Betty, loved singing together and were often heard to sing the song ‘Sisters’. Margaret always enjoyed family get togethers, playing games and singing along with Betty.

Her passport was well stamped as she and Bill enjoyed many holidays to Greece, Italy, Tenerife and Malta. Margaret also enjoyed a wonderful holiday to Canada with her brother, Harry, visiting her niece, Cassie. Now Cassie arranged a few little trips for them, including whale watching, but Margaret wasn’t overly impressed with that trip because she was absolutely freezing on a boat for more than a few hours.

Now Margaret couldn’t ride a bike and so it surprised everyone when she went on a cycling holiday with Bill, riding tandem all the way!

Margaret did enjoy going to work every day although she found the bus journey a bit tedious. A great organiser, she thoroughly enjoyed her job with the Scottish Courts Service, enjoying even more the independence it gave her.

With her many house moves between Penicuik, Duns,Berwick, Tweedmouth, back to Berwick,short stay in Edinburgh and back to Penicuik, there was always a wall needing painted, or a wardrobe needing moved, and she delighted in being able to do all these things herself.

During her working life, Margaret made lots of friends, and was especially close to her sister. However, once she retired, and being at home all the time, together with the death of Bill, her son Ron her brothers,and sister, Margaret became a very private person, and kept herself to herself, keeping busy by completing crosswords, puzzles, and colouring in her picture books and reading books and using her Kindle which she mastered very quickly. She really did just love her own company in her own house but still enjoyed a laugh with her son Gary on his visits.

Every day at around 5pm it was cocktail time in Margaret’s house, when she would settle down with a wee whiskey or a glass of wine and watch her favourite programmes on the television. She loved police and crime programmes, the grittier the better it would seem as she loved to watch the Sopranos and Ray Donavon, and one of her favourite films was Pulp Fiction. Of course, with a keen interest in moving house and decorating, she thoroughly enjoyed watching Grand Designs too.

Margaret kept a very tidy house – a place for everything and everything in its place. She just loved being well organised. She was kind hearted and generous and always helped her brothers and sister in any way she could, and she did the same for Ron while he was unwell.
You could talk to Margaret about anything, she was a great listener and was always there for you if you needed her. She was a very strong independent woman who preferred to do things her way without having to ask for help.

Above all, though, Margaret was a loyal and devoted wife, mother, grandmother, great grandmother, sister, aunt and friend and she will be remembered for the great importance she placed on those roles.

I know that Margaret is going to be so very sadly missed by everyone who had the good fortune of knowing her.

Of course you will all have your own thoughts and memories of Margaret and so I now invite you all to take a few moments to think of her and what she meant to you. During this time of reflection we will listen to a song Margaret loved to sing around the house, Que Sera Sera, sung by Doris Day.
Words of Committal
Although we must now say our final goodbyes to Margaret, please remember that it is only her body which we say goodbye to today – not her personality, her soul or her spirit which will remain alive forever in your minds and in your hearts. To live in the heart of another person is not to die – love doesn’t end with dying, or leave in the last breath, for someone you’ve loved so deeply, love doesn’t end with death.
(Could everyone please stand)
Margaret,
You closed your eyes and were taken to a beautiful place
And left us to try to understand.
Others are taken, this we know,
But you were ours and we loved you so.
You’ll be in our thoughts every single day
And in our hearts you will always stay.
A silent prayer and lots of tears too
We will always love and remember you.
Go with our love, in time we will understand,
Go with our blessing into Bill’s caring hands.

(Please be seated)

Today, we have acknowledged our appreciation for the privilege of sharing a part of Margaret’s life. Even though her death has meant a physical break in the links of the chain that binds you to each other, the influence and effect of Margaret’s life is still evident now as we speak her name. And so we say that we are glad Margaret lived. We are glad we saw her face. We are glad we felt her touch and heard her laughter. We will forever cherish the memory of Margaret’s love of life, her loyalty to her family, her resilience, her wisdom, her friendship and most of all, her unconditional love.
We have been remembering with love and affection, Margaret’s life which has sadly ended and now is the time for you to go out and continue living your lives enriched by her memory, but before you leave here today, I hope that you can take comfort from the following words:
You can shed tears that she is gone,
or you can smile because she has lived.
You can close your eyes and pray that she’ll come back,
Or you can open your eyes and see all she’s left.
Your heart can be empty because you can’t see her
Or you can be full of the love you have shared.
You can turn your back on tomorrow and live yesterday,
Or you can be happy for tomorrow because of yesterday.
You can remember her and only that she’s gone,
Or you can cherish her memory and let it live on.
You can cry and close your mind, be empty and turn your back,
Or you can do what Margaret would want:
smile, open your eyes, love and go on.
David Harkins
Margaret’s family warmly invite those of you who are able, to join them at The Navaar House Hotel, 23 Bog Road, Penicuik, not only for refreshments, but also for the opportunity to share your own thoughts and memories of her with each other.

It is respectfully requested that a retiral collection be taken in Margaret’s name in aid of two charities, Cancer Research and Alzheimer’s Scotland, and so as you leave here today you will find a donation box and contributions, no matter how small, will be very gratefully received.

Finally, it only remains for me to thank each and every one of you for your presence here today and I am sure, that if she was here, Margaret would be humbled, if not a little proud, that you all came to say goodbye.
Thank you.
Music on Retiral
Le Freak, Chic