So sorry for your loss Tone
donated £40 in memory of Margaret
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Margaret Helsey (6 Dec 1943 - 17 Mar 2018)
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In loving memory of Margaret Helsey who sadly passed away on 17th March 2018.
Margaret Mary Halpin was born on December 6, 1943 to Michael and Eileen Halpin during the 2nd world war, while Michael was serving in the Irish guards. The only girl of 4 children; Kevin who died aged 2, Michael 4 years older and Larry 3 years younger. They grew up in Kensal Rise and the children had to attend Catholic school and church regularly against their will. All 3 children turned against religion on becoming adults.
Margaret was married at aged 18 to a Sudanese diplomat whom she met while working at the Sudanese embassy. They moved to Sudan and had a son Tony, three days before Margaret’s 20th birthday. Margaret fled Sudan a year later with her son after being abused once too often by her husband.
She went back to live with her parents and was soon introduced by her brother Mick to his best friend, Alan Winyard. Margaret and Alan began dating and moved in together in Alan’s flat in Kilburn in the early 70s.
Margaret worked for various companies around central London as an accountant.
When Tony left home in 1984 Alan and Margaret split and Margaret moved to Hemel Hempstead. Within a year or so she met a man named David Halsey and they married in 1987. He was 6’ 7” and very powerfully built and would often physically assault her, at times leaving her hospitalised and after a few years she once again escaped a husband that abused her.
In 1992 she decided to travel around the world by herself and visited Tony who was living in Jakarta, Indonesia at that time as well as many other countries.
In the early 90s she met a guy named Ray and the early years they had a good relationship. Margaret was diagnosed with a combination of Glaucoma and Macular degeneration in 1997 and began to lose her eyesight and was completely blind by 1999. At the time she was working in the accounts department at Milton Keynes council and she continued working there and was helped enormously the following year when she received a Guide Dog, a Labrador named Bradley who became her world and gave her independence.
In 2005 she was diagnosed with breast cancer and so had a breast removed and was given aggressive chemotherapy which caused her numerous other medical issues for a couple of years and just when it seemed that it was going it came back and she had the other breast removed.
On the advice of the Guide Dogs association Bradley was retired in 2007 and they replaced him with a Golden Retriever named Bailey and Bailey became a pet.
At this same period her relationship with Ray broke down. He had been physically beating her for a while and after putting up with this for a few years she left him in 2010.
The cancer returned for the 3rd time in April 2013 but this time had spread to her lungs and two days after she lost her brother Mick to cancer she was told it was terminal and given a few months to live by the doctors treating her. She was convinced she wouldn’t be around much longer and began making her own funeral arrangements and settling her affairs. Bradley had passed away a year earlier and she contacted Guide Dogs to ask them if they could find a new family for Bailey, as she felt guilty that she couldn’t take her for walks. Guide Dogs placed with her a young family and losing Bailey nearly broke Margaret’s heart.
Just under a year later she began to get itchy eyes regularly and started hallucinating. She went to see her doctor on May 22nd and after a series of tests he told her that she hadn’t been hallucinating but that her eyesight had returned and that he had no idea how this had happened. A few days later she was able to see her 5-year-old grand daughter Bonnie for the first time and words could not describe what this meant to her. She completely changed and gave her an immeasurable boost to her mental strength and soon after the cancer went into remission and she again began to socialise with the other residents of Lovett Fields village, whereas in the previous few months she had been leaving her flat less and less. Now she was in the coffee shop in the village all the time and working voluntarily all over the village; on reception, in the bar, the coffee shop and so on and she became great friends with Pat Bradnum.
The cancer returned in 2017 and was now spreading to other parts of her body. She had a fall in November and broke her hip and after leaving hospital became more and more frail and was readmitted to hospital in mid February. She passed away on St Patrick’s Day.
The wake will be at Lovatt Fields Village from 4pm,
Lovatt Fields Village, Japonica lane, Milton Keynes, MK15 9LE
donated £70 in memory of Margaret
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wrote
So sorry for your loss Tony ,take care
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donated £20 in memory of Margaret
In memory of Margaret
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Thank you Mark
donated in memory of Margaret
So sorry for your loss Tony. Thinking of you both.
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Thank you Naheed x
donated £10 in memory of Margaret
Tony & Bonnie,
Thoughts are with you both at this difficult time.
SH
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Thank you Steve
donated £10 in memory of Margaret
Tony & Bonnie,
Thoughts are with you both at this difficult time.
SH
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donated £28.20 in memory of Margaret
Tony and Bonnie, our deepest sympathy on the great loss of your Mum/Nan. Love, Audrey and Jim xx
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Thank you Audrey and Jim x
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