Llanishen Methodist Church						Melbourne Road, Llanishen,
						Cardiff CF14 5NH
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Evelyn Stockford Died at St Isan's Home, Llanishen-

Funeral Service conducted by Rev Phil Drake January 11th 2010 Opening prayer Old Testament reading: Psalm 121 Gospel reading: John 14.1-6, 27 Tribute and Short Address Prayers of thanksgiving and intercession Hymn 15 All things bright and beautiful Commendation and the Lord's Prayer Act of committal Concluding prayers and blessing Music for departure		We have come to mark the death of Evelyn Stockford, who has died at the age of 96. We come to grieve the loss of a dear family member and friend, and of someone we knew and respected. Evelyn was born in Penarth 1913 - a year before the outbreak of the first world war. Her father was a baker by trade. As a young woman, Evelyn met a local mechanic, Bob Stockford who came from Grangetown. Part of their courting was done on a tandem - although Bob complained later that he had been left to do most of the pedalling! Later they used Bob's motorbike with Evelyn holding on at the back. They were married on 1st June 1936. They went to live in Grangetown, and in the early days bought a local shop where Evelyn worked behind the counter - not always a pleasant experience in a place where times were hard and customers came demanding credit and so on. There was also personal tragedy when Evelyn's first born children, the twins Evelyn and May, died at birth. The second world war came, and Bob served in the RAF as a mechanic and was sent to bases in Taunton and York. Evelyn travelled with him, and helped to look after the forces at the base. Robert was born during those war years in 1943; later Bob was sent to serve in Iceland, and so Evelyn was left at home. When war ended, Evelyn and Bob lived in Cogan for a short while, before moving to the new housing in Llanishen  around 1950. Their top floor flat was above the flat of neighbours Mr and Mrs Wiltshire who attended the local Methodist Church. So Evelyn and Bob went along as well, with both of them becoming very involved in the life of the church, with Evelyn helping out with anything from arranging flowers to cleaning the church. She was a member of the Women's Fellowship for many years; and even in her 80s was helping Edith Field to serve tea and coffee to mothers attending the toddlers group. When Bob retired from work, he and Evelyn could be seen doing everything together, from shopping and keeping the garden tidy to visiting Evelyn's mum who lived to the age of 103. Bob died quite suddenly in 1991, and Evelyn had to adapt to quite difficult circumstances, not only with bereavement, but also with practical tasks such as managing a bank account which she had never had to do before. She continued to be supported by Robert and his family. Evelyn enjoyed reasonable health until her latter years when she began suffering with several attacks of dizziness. More seriously, she was taken into hospital for a prolonged stay in 2006, after which she went to live in the St Isan nursing home, ideally situated near to where she had lived for so many years, and where friends and church people and so on could continue to visit her. Although she must have missed her own home, she accepted the move, not wanting to be a trouble to anyone. At St Isan she received a good quality of care from staff who are to be commended for their skill and dedication. Just after Christmas, she died peacefully in her own room, surrounded by her own things. One of the wonderful things about living in these parts - in the north of Cardiff is that we are surrounded by hills in the one direction. The Psalm 121 is a reminder to us that even at a time of death, we can still lift up our eyes. We maybe distraught, we may feel downcast, with our heads bowed and our spirits weighed down with sadness. But the word to us is still to lift up our eyes, to raise up our heads. We look beyond ourselves, to help that comes to us in a time of need. The promise is that God will keep us and protect us, even in death. In the midst of death, God comes to us with a message of hope. It's a message that is given to us in the gospels, in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Death is not the end, but in the strength and help of God, there is a promise of new life. So as you leave this place today, lift up your eyes, look to the hills, and commend Evelyn into the infinite keeping and care of God.
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