June Fewkes (2 Jun 1932 - 27 Jul 2020)

Thank you June for being such a loving person to me as a child and after. Love x

For those of you who could not make it to the funeral today, here is the transcript of the tribute I gave: -

June Mary Fewkes, Mum, Mamma, Great Mamma, Auntie June.
When I thought about trying to put some words together to capture the essence of June and what she meant to us all here, I honestly did not know where to start.

Normally at this time we would be listing all the milestones and achievements of the person we are here to remember, but June wasn’t a person like that. She wasn’t one of life’s great achievers. She was though, one of life’s great worriers. Those close to her knew that if she didn’t have anything to worry about, she would be worried.

However, everybody that June met said she was a “lovely lady”. Having lived around Thorneywood for all of her 88 years, she knew a lot of people in the immediate neighborhood and some of them are here to say farewell.

June had quite a few stories about things she’d done, places she’d seen, (Rome, California, Capri, Scarborough) and she repeated them to you at every possible occasion, whenever the chance came up. She knew she wasn’t the sharpest tool in the box, and I think she played that to her advantage. Sometimes frustratingly, most times comically. Meaning she was probably sharper than you think. How many people here today have helped her out on tasks that to you were seemingly simple, but she just couldn’t understand it. To June a central heating timer was like the controls of a spaceship.
Family was especially important to June. She waxed lyrical about her Mum, Dad, and brother. She was never happier than when she was surrounded by her Grandchildren at a family do, or on a holiday, and recently of course she had a great grandchild, Holly, who was very special to her.
After John passed away I’ve been helping June with all her bills & accounts and she gave me many pieces of paper relating to all kinds of matters. Talking to June and reading these papers gave me a different perspective of how she grew up.

She was born on 2nd June 1932 to Ernest and Doris Messom at 43 Gordon Road, Thorneywood. Ernest was never known as Ernest, he was “Mick” Messom, of Mick Messom and his band. He worked at a hosiery factory in Ruddington by day and played violin by night, entertaining the Nottingham public. The family, including her elder brother Ernest, lived at 15 Thorneywood Mount. She was a child of the war. She was only 7 when the second world war started and 13 when it finished. She went to Pierrepont school and left in 1947 at the age of 15. She was frequently at her Uncle Len’s butchers shop “Tebbs” on Gordon Road and recalled seeing him making black pudding, and we all know what that involves.

I think that Mick and Doris could see that June wasn’t going to be an “academic” so they enrolled her in the Guildhall School of Music and Drama where she learned elocution and music. The family have suffered for this decision on many occasions as Mamma would without encouragement burst into the poem of “Two little pigs to market went, their names were Paul and Patience”.

June got a qualification in typing and Greg shorthand. This was a must for any budding typist of the day. She got a job, aged 15 working for the Army Kinema Corporation as a typist / clerk earning £3-10 shillings a week. She then worked in an office for Singlam Fabrics, a hosiery company. She had met John when they were teenagers on Valley Road playing fields in Carlton. They were married on 16th April 1955 and when John finished his National Service in January 1957 they purchased the house on Florence Road for the princely sum of £1,550. We believe her to be the oldest resident on the street, totting up 63 years in the same house.

Susan was born in the April of 1957 and Mandy in June 1960. During the time when the girls were growing up she had part time jobs as a cleaner, a part time sales assistant at Bellman's on Exchange walk, Evans Outsizes on Clumber Street and The baby wear shop on Florence Road.

June relied heavily on John and losing him in 2009 was a big change to her life. Sue, Mandy, Steve and I, as well as many of you, have helped and supported her since. Thank you.
So, what more was there to June. She loved a party. She disliked mornings but would party easily into the early hours. A night owl. She was a very indecisive person but would relish a gamble, a flutter. Especially the Grand National, the lottery, bingo and of course her beloved scratch cards. The “scratch card lady” she said she was known as at the corner shop. She was at her happiest when playing cards with her family, especially with the grandchildren, Joseph, Jennifer and Samuel, (no shortened names allowed). Stop the bus, chase the ace and “running out”. She was pretty sharp at cards. And to see her artistic prowess in a game of Pictionary was something else.
June knew what she liked. She loved the colour blue and disliked green. Drink of lemonade, no ice. Tea not coffee. Cadbury’s not Rowntree, Rich tea not custard cream, brown bread not white, M&S not C&A, sponge cake not fruit cake, garden peas not mushy, chicken and fish not red meat (maybe because of the butchers earlier). She loved the films the Sound of Music, four weddings and a funeral, The King & I, and Pretty Woman. She knew every episode of Only Fools and Horses inside out. A real fan of the show. She hated boats and wasn’t too keen on aeroplanes. She loved Frank Sinatra and went to see him at the Royal Albert Hall in London.

We all remember with fondness the malapropisms or is that mamma-propisms. She complained to the bingo hall when the battery operated dancing snowman she had won wasn’t working even though her son-in-law had put 3 new durexes in it. Or that Karen and Andy had a lovely new house, which was very big and it even had an Argos in the kitchen. Or when questioned if the bingo hall was busy tonight she remarked that it was “chock, bang…Empty”. There are so many more. And of course, there was always the main question from June, “Is it a big job?”.......”Mamma’s world” we call it in our family.

I hope I have found a few words that capture a little something of June, something that you can all relate to and will remember. She was a friendly, talkative, honest, kind and above all, a generous lady. June was June. She was Mum, Mamma and Great Mamma. She was a one off and she will be missed by everybody here and those others who knew her.

My heart and soul were at the funeral today.

June was such a great and delightful part of my informative and growing up years. Her personality, laughter and smile could light up a room and it was always so lovely to see her.

I always remember visiting her as a child and being greeted at the Florence Rd door with a cheerful wave, wonderful smile, and a tin of biscuits. Going to parties, Mapperley top and town with my mum and June have become affectionate memories for me (I particularly remember always going to Marks and Spencer when we were with June). I am now so fond of those times and as I got older it was always great to see her. I really appreciated how much she took interest in what I was doing with much affection.

I will miss June with her warm, welcoming and cheerful manner and she will be missed very much by everyone in my family.

I wish you peace and I will always have much love and memories of you.

Love!

James x

June you will be sadly missed at the coffee morning at peace now Malcolm and Doris

June we will miss your lovely smile, our coffe morning will miss you. Now no more pain or suffering. Fred will miss his chocolate bar.
Rest in Peace.love from Fred and Peggy xxxx

Our thoughts and prayers are with the whole family at this sad time. Much love to you all. Melvin and Elaine xx

Our lovely sister in law and Auntie, will be sadly missed. We go back a long way and we've had some great times. Reunited with John. Our thoughts are with Mandy and Steve, Sue and Kevin and families. Love from Jean, Michael, Catherine, Andy, Jack and Harriet x

June, its goodbye to a lovely lady, the bus has stopped, but it was a pleasure to share some of the journey with you. Sympathy to Sue, Mandy, Kev, Steve and all the family.

A lovely lady with a lovely smith, now re-united with J0hn will be sadly missed.
Thinking of the lovely family and sending love to you all at this sad time.
Doreen xxxx

A lovely lady, always with a lovely smile, now re- united with her husband John, will be sadly missed.

To our dearest friend June. We miss your beautiful smile, bubbly personality , chats and endless cups of tea. You’ll always be in our thoughts. We have many happy memories of our time together , you’ve been a lovely neighbour and friend for over 22 years. Rest in peace lovely lady . . Now reunited with John . Sending love to your wonderful kind and caring family

Dawn, Gary, Claire, Jack, Hannah, Dan and baby Alice, and of course our little fury Toby . Xxxx