Mary (Mum) was born in Liverpool to James (Jimmy) and Mary Higham. She was the eldest of 4 children (although her mum had lost an older son Michael when he was just 18 months old). Mary was the big sister of Pat David and William (Billy) and had a loving and happy childhood. Nanna Mary tells tales of Mary always being very organised as a child and saving her pennies and buying presents for her brothers and sister and parents out of her own money from as young as 6! She was very tidy and would always put everything back in its place(God knows what happened to us lot!) Mum always worked and I always remember her telling me she worked in Stylo shoes and was asked to be manageress at just 17 which was unheard of at that time!. Mum met Dad, (Bobby Les) at the tender age of 17 and they were best friends with Ray Hayes at the time. Mum Dad and Ray went everywhere as a 3 and had some great times. Ray was best Man at Mum and Dads wedding in 1969. Mum tells the story of choosing a dress and then realising it was too expensive so looked at some others but ended up going back for the one which she had fallen in love with and saving extra to pay for it!! (Some things are genetic!!ha) Ray met kate and the 4 of them were great friends. Mum and Dad were both hard workers and Dad worked as a bread delivery man but would buy stock on the side and Mum would take it and sell in Woolworths to the other staff at lunch times! At 25 Mary became a mum to Paul, 18 months later came me and then Rob 6 years after that. Mum discusses that being a mum was the best job in the world and we had a fabulous childhood. Mum never let any occasion pass without a celebration. Birthdays, Haloween, Bonfire Night, Easter, Christmas, etc etc were all a good excuse for a party and I have lots of memories of parties as a child. I also have lots of memories of adult parties where Mum dad Allan and Gina pat and Richard dave and Joan Ray and Kate Dot and Christ Archie and Sheila etc would be bladdered!!! ha ha we wnet on a full family holiday each year including Allan gina Chris Dot Dave Joan and all of us Kids and these were some of the best memories i have. I always remember Mum when the first video cameras came out (they were about the size if a portable TV)Uncle Chris was videoing Mum Gina Dot joan doing the Kan Kan to keep warm (the way you do) then Mum was discussing how unlucky she was with birds and at that moment a bird PoooD on her shoulder !! ha ha..... Mum was a great Mum and always attended every schhol assembl;y, play sports day etc. When Mum was 8 months pregnant with Rob she cam eto watch paul and i in the Sports day and there was a Mums race, paul wanted Mum to race and Mum didnt want to dissapoint him so she joined in.... and WON!ha Mum would get up every morning and "set the table" for breakfast befor school, We would have 3 types of cereal (all in tupperware contain ers never boxes on the table!ha) Toast (in a toast rack so it didnt go soggy) Butter in a butter dish Milk (in a jug never a bottle on the table) Marmalade jam and pate!!! We all sat as a family and ate our breakfast together as we did with our tea and would catch up on what we had done that day in school etc. Mum was heartbroken when her marriage to dad ended but she remained a rock for all of us and tried her best to be both mum and dad, she would go and watch pauls Sunday league team each week ( with a picnic of course!)and was the family taxi dropping us here there and everywhere! Mum then met the Kirkby girls and a whole new life started for her... they went out every friday and Mum had a real good laugh with them all. She was very attractive and always had lots of male attention although in those early days she hardly ever brought a man to the house as she never wanted to upset "the kids". Mum always put us and our feelings first. Eventually Mum had herself a full and right good life! She bought Glitz fashion jewellery in Bootle Strand and never looked back!!.... It was like Alladins cave and sold everything from cotton to Tiaras and most thing in between!!! Mum loved her shop and would go for her stock on a Sunday and the sit and price it all for hours ready to take back in on the monday!! Christmas was a very busy time for Mum who would work flat out yet she still mamanged to send all 2000 cards which she wrote plus have all prezzies wrapped by about November and then would close the shop at 3pm xmas eve when it went quiet and drive straight to the Airport to hop on a plane and meet up with us lot over at Pauls in Spain!! Her days in Glitz were very happy ones and she had our lovely Trish working with her which she loved they were so close more like mum and daughter than auntie and niece, this bond was apparent later in Mums life when Trish helped to care for Mum in her fight against MND. She was very brave and had always loved walking so one day out of the blue she joined the ramblers!!! I have found she she passed away her diary from the different walks she did and it is like reading a joke book..... She manages to bring humour into all her diary notes and its a real insight into mums charactor and ability to make the best of a situation (although regularly leaves a blank space where the name of the mountain or hill should be as she could never remember where she had been and would always narrow it down to "Wales"!!ha) Mum joined Dinner Club and in the 5 years before she got ill she made some very close friendships and went on numerous cruises etc with them. There was a day when one of the ladies didnt feel too good so Mum decided not to get off and do the tour but to stay on board to look after her..... The story is then picked up as the rest of the gang return to the ship to find mum and Marylynne paraletic with 10 cocktail umberellas in their hair!! ha ha so much for looking after her! Mum was an excellent dancer and again bravely joined Billy Martins School of dance, on her own, never an easy thing to do,where she once again forged strong friendships with 3 lovely ladies Donna Helen and Margy!( I see a pattern emerging here, everywhere Mum went her warmth and kindness, aswell as her great sence of humour, always resulted in strong friendships and she always found the time to fit evryone in and never ever missed a birthday anniversary or any other excuse for sending a card!!( Im afraid this trate did not pass through to me!!) I went to watch Mum on the presentation night of her gold medal dance award...... I was amazed, dont get me wrong she was always an fantastic dancer and still to this day Ive never seen anyone jive like mum, people would get of the dance floor and watch her on a Thurday at the Orell (and even applaud as she finished!!!) but to see her Rhumba, Waltz, Quickstep and Tango like a contestant of Strictly Come dancing was amazing!!!! There were lots of people doing the same 'moves' yet no one quite had the "swagger" that mum did, she somehow managed to make it all look so cool!!! ha Mum was also a keen gardner and loved going to the garden centres and flower shows with John who became more than friend to Mum and visited her right up untill she passed away. John still visits Mum now and helps to keep her grave looking vibrant, just as she would have liked it! Mums many friends made coping with her disease that little bit easier especially Donna Helen and Margy who turned up in their PJs when mum was unable to dress which made us all laugh and Kate, her firend of many years who really stepped upto the mark when mum got ill helping us all through and organsing many charity nights and a Carol service (delivered to the door) to help Mum enjoy her last Christmas, which, in typical Mary Style she tried hard to do for us all! We always knew our Mum was special but the true spirit and determination of Mum became evident in the way in which she dealth with her terrible illness.... We a5re very proud of our lovely Mum and as she told me in her own words, she will always be with us in our hearts... Please click on contribute ( this is not as it sounds its contribute a thought or a story not finance!!!) and add any memories or thoughts or stories of mum and you can also upload pictures or music if so wish.. would love to hear them!! xx