Violet Kathleen Noble (7 Jan 1933 - 25 Apr 2018)

In loving memory of Violet Kathleen Noble who sadly passed away on 25th April 2018.

Mum was much loved by all her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren and will be missed by everyone who knew her. Here's the words from Phil, the Humanist who conducted the service.

Violet Kathleen Foster was born on Saturday January 7th 1933 to mother Ellen and father Walter who was an Iron Moulder - a very tough job.

The family lived just off the Old Kent Road in Ruby Street and violet was one of eight children. She had two sisters Tilly and Lylie and five brothers George, Joey, Wally, Ronnie and Harry.

Times would have been difficult with such a large family and the world in recession, and when Violet was just six years old the Second World War started.

She was evacuated twice. The first home she went to didn't treat her well, so Ellen went to go and bring her home. Her second evacuation, to Kent, was much more successful.

Her older sisters were air raid wardens for the Women's Royal Voluntary Service, but Violet was much too young. However, she did recall the sound of the Doodlebugs - the V1 flying bombs that landed on London.

They were also known as buzz bombs and when the sound of the engine cut out that was when they knew they would drop and cause devastation. It must have been terrifying, but Violet said they sometimes hoped they dropped on people they didn't like!

After leaving school Violet went to work for the security printers De La Rue, the security printers who printed banknotes. It was there that she met Jack Noble and they were both instantly smitten and after courting for a while, they were married at Christ Church in Peckham on March 27th 1954 and moved into their first home in Wellmeadow Road Catford.

They started their family soon afterwards with the arrival of Wendy. Then in 1956 Kim, Sue in 57, Deb in 1960, and Julie in 63. They must have thought they'd never have a son, but after a bit of a gap, John joined the family in 1970.
So some of the girls were quite grown up when John came along, which was a help when in 1973 the family faced tragedy when dad Jack died, leaving Violet alone to look after the family. She went out to work doing various part-time jobs to fit around the family, while the older kids helped to look after their younger siblings.

In 1968 the family had moved out to a larger home in Swanley that took some looking after but Jack and Violet made it the big family home and it became the centre for lots of parties particularly at Christmas. Even though the family was large, they always found room for pets – dogs, cats, rabbits and even terrapins!

When the kids were younger they would all go on family holidays. Dad would never stay in a hotel, or eat in a restaurant, so they camped every year, come rain or shine, which Violet enjoyed as it reminded her of the times when her family would go, en-masse, to Kent to go hop picking in the summer.

The family had a VW Campervan and a tent that accommodated them in Scotland, Wales, the Lake District and Cornwall – all places they loved to go walking. Mind you, Julie told me that mum had to tie a piece of string to Sue at night, as she was prone to sleepwalking.

They graduated to a caravan at Camber Sands and then Bracklesham Bay eventually, and Violet had her first overseas holiday in France in 1980. Julie had said she wanted to go abroad, and she along with her friend Claire, travelled by coach with John and Violet to St Tropez.

Violet really loved to travel and as some of her children began to move abroad, it gave her the opportunity to go and visit them. She went to New York when Julie was there and to Australia and New Zealand on more than one occasion including to John and Vanessa's wedding in 1999.

And she went back to New Zealand with Pam and Chris. To India and Egypt with Sue, and on holiday to Sri Lanka with her sister-in-law Doreen.

She had lots of happy holidays in France with various children and grandchildren. Violet had 14 grandchildren and six great-grandchildren. She always looked after her grandchildren, either having them to stay, or visiting to look after them. Her family was her life - it defined her.

At home Violet enjoyed watching TV and Reading. A good thriller or murder mystery in either and she was happy. But she preferred to be outside, she loved to sit in the garden, although she wasn't really one for gardening.

She listened to talk radio a lot but she really loved music and she often used to pop into Woolworths in Swanley and end up buying random albums. One of her favourites was John Lennon's imagine and some of her older children will remember the title track featuring at family parties.

Violet also liked the cinema and in later years she went a lot with her sister in law Doreen. They would also head off on days out, or for short trips by coach and train - she loved a train journey.

As well as her own family Violet was close to her in-laws and she loved to go away with them for fun weekends at Butlins, which often involved themed fancy dress and lots of laughs.

Family meant everything to Violet. So it is hard to imagine how she must have felt when she lost her daughter Wendy to cancer in 2001. She herself had survived breast cancer and she felt it was so unfair that her daughter should be a victim of it at such a young age. She was devastated.

Violet was one of that generation of women who gave everything for their families. She was a natural carer, which is probably why she did so well when she worked at Honeyfields Care Home in Hextable where she became the assistant manager and worked until taking early retirement when she was 58.

I understand that when she was living at Iden Manor she even tried managing it too! She would tell her visitors when she thought other people needed a drink. She knew what it was like for the staff and they loved her and loved her sense of humour.

Violet had a great sense of humour. She loved to make her children and grandchildren laugh – when she wasn’t scaring them witless wearing a white sheet during murder in the dark. She loved to cook – and she was a great cook – but she wasn’t averse to using the food as a weapon and starting a food fight.

Violet loved to cook, her Sunday roasts were legendary and she made great bread puddings and a wonderful Christmas pud. When the family became too big to accommodate in one house for Christmas parties, everyone went to a Youth Hostel for the seasonal get together – and the Nobles have invaded YHA’s across the south east for the weekend before Christmas on many occasions – a tradition that continued for her 80th birthday where the whole family celebrated near Brighton.

The word that I have heard and read used about Violet most, was carer. It was what she naturally did. But she has also been described to me as strong, determined and stoical, which she needed to be to deal with the challenges she faced, including her illness in later years.

I know that you have all learned a lot from Violet. To be strong, to enjoy life and most of all, to love your family.