Gwendoline Jean Davies (16 Nov 1952 - 24 Jun 2018)

Gwen was born 16thNovember 1952 in Romford, to Tom and Sheila, a typical 1950’s working class family.
As a baby and toddler she spent 18 months in a Hostel with her mum.
She was the first of 6 children, the others all being brothers, this helped Gwen become a real Overcomer as she had to help in the family much of the time by looking after her brothers Thomas, Andrew, Michael, Paul and Jeffery, so much so that Gwen did not really get a social life until she was much older.
The first years of Gwen’s life were tough and in 1967 when 16, not content with 5 brothers, she meet another of that “other sex” by the name of Paul.
They met at school when Paul was 17, it soon turned into love and the beginning of a lifetime relationship.

Gwen won a prize for history at school and later obtained a Degree in teaching.

Instead of going on holiday, they decided to save up for their wedding, which was a small event by today’s standards. They married in 1970 and started their married life together by moving in with Gwen’s parents. On their wedding night, Gwen’s brother Paul put a spider in their bed, which caused a minor disturbance.

This arrangement soon proved difficult for them, so they moved in with Paul’s family for a few weeks before getting a flat of their own.

In 1972 they had their first son Allan, followed by Iain in 1974.

They moved from the flat to a house after Allan was born. It was at this time, that Gwen’s brother Thomas was diagnosed with cancer, and had his leg amputated. This did not stop the spread of the disease. Gwen offered Thomas a room (as his family home was quite crowded). Gwen looked after him for a while until he returned home, then to hospital, where he died at the age of 20.

In 1975, Gwen came to Lord after some time speaking with Olive, a family friend. Soon, with some trepidation, she spoke to Paul about her faith. Paul then also spent some time speaking with Olive, who sat him down with a Bible and told him to ‘sort himself out’, at which time he also found Jesus as his Saviour.

In 1978 Gwen gave birth to Joanne, their first daughter, whilst living in Basildon, then came Victoria their second daughter in 1982.

During the next years they began to buy their own house and subsequently moved a couple of times. Paul began to work away in 1990, after redundancy. But in 1996 Paul took a staff job in Usk, near Newport in South Wales. Gwen’s was less than impressed and her reaction to Paul asking her to move was “I am not bloody living in Wales”.

However, they bought a house in Abergavenny, having found a Pioneer church there. Paul and Gwen put their whole lives into the churches they attended and even church planted, helping convert an old cinema into a modern church in Abergavenny.

In Abergavenny Gwen made friends with many people and helped out in every way.

Ros (short for Rosamund), a special friend for many years, remembers that once while Gwen took the Mother and Toddlers group with Ros to the local community farm in Cymbran,
It was Gwen who led the children through all the puddles,
It was Gwen who got the children to go “toot-toot-toot” as the tractor /train went under the bridge.
Ros also remembers that on another occasion they went to a party that was meant to be a fancy dress party, and guess who were the only two who turned up in fancy dress, yes you got it , Gwen and Ros.
Ros also remembers that Gwen was the sort of person who when coming back from a church ministry weekend would put the latest worship tape in the cassette player, playing it FULL blast and sing all the way back home, from Eastbourne.

Gwen worked tirelessly with groups for young mothers and “soon to be” mothers and was a trained abortion crisis counsellor, chatting about the pros and cons of abortion, she never judged but just loved and gave the Lord’s view on all things.

Then in 2007 they moved to Stowmarket to be nearer their children and the growing number of grandchildren.

Whilst looking for a Church to attend they decided to try one in the New Frontiers stream in Bury St Edmunds.

That was how Gwen and Paul first walked into our lives one Sunday morning.

For the next 7 years Gwen was in the thick of things, coping with a husband again working overseas and a wider growing family. All the time relying on her relationship with Jesus to carry her through all crises.

Gwen was a true pillar of her family and of the church community. Being someone that many women looked up to Gwen maintained all aspects of her life, devoted wife, loving mother and grandmother.

In 2009 Paul and Gwen were part of the church plant of New Frontiers into Stowmarket, and many a time I remember the infectious laugh of Gwen as she moved with the Lord during ministry times.

You may not know this but Gwen has written some great poetry as the outcome of persistence and overcoming in different situations that she has gone through.

Gwen is known by all of us here in Stowmarket as one of the real prayer warriors, if you needed help Gwen was always there in prayer and persistence.

In 2012 she became aware that all was not well with her body and had emergency surgery, where they found that Gwen had cancer. Gwen again showed her real faith in Jesus and her tenacity, she was an overcomer.

Two years ago Gwen followed the Lords direction and moved to the newly formed Home Church in Stowmarket, where God used her prophetic gifts to the full. Many times the leaders would be amazed because she would walk into the meeting singing or asking about the very same thing that was on the leaders hearts.

For many years Gwen had been hearing from God intimately because of her relationship with Him and now she clung on to something that she had heard from him “this sickness is not unto death”.

Gwen did not stop, she endured many visits to GP’s, many visits for chemotherapy and became someone that her doctor was not willing to see suffer.

During her illness, many times she heard God say “get up and go be with your friends” and later on we were privileged to see Gwen come through the door to join our bible studies and prayer times, you see God had “WOW” moment in store for Gwen.

During the night of Saturday 23rd June 2018 Paul realized that Gwen was not ok and needed help. He called the out of hours doctors who quickly arrived and were able to make Gwen comfortable, with Paul.

Gwen finished her race in this world at 9am on Sunday 24th June with her loving husband Paul at her side.

Gwen, the ever cheerful, who will always be remembered as an overcomer.