It’s a privilege to be asked by Mary’s family to share my memories of Mary this afternoon. When we moved to Salford in 2000, I was on the staff of Elmwood and so I knew Mary as a member of the congregation and also in her work here at church in the preschool work.

 I regularly saw Mary at work. She was involved in toddlers and playgroup for several years and was it was great to have her involved here. Mary was incredibly patient and kind and gentle. Working with young children - and especially other people’s young children - isn’t always easy, but in all the years of working alongside her, I never saw her ruffled or angry and I never saw her speak out of turn.  She was always interested in other people and was able to get alongside other mums, identifying with anyone that may have been struggling and making them feel welcome here. She was totally reliable, always willing to work far more hours than she was paid for, and she was a strong pillar of what she helped to develop into a much respected and valued community playgroup.
 
Mary was also keen to sing in the church choir when practices started for Christmas - she was probably relieved to have the opportunity to sing songs that weren’t children's nursery rhymes for once after her hours with little children.  She loved the experience of singing as part a group and we had lots of fun working on the arrangements and rehearsing. She never took her self too seriously and she saw her singing as just another way of contributing to the life of the church.

I've asked Kathryn Bolton, who’s here this afternoon - a great friend and neighbour to Mary and her family and who also worked with Kathryn here at Elmwood -  to share her memories of Mary. She says:
"I first got to know Mary at toddlers group when she arrived with her beautiful daughter Amy. We very quickly became friends and over the next few years enjoyed attending toddlers together as our families grew. We often ended up at each others houses having a brew or some lunch while we watched our children play. I was always impressed by Mary's calmness and joy in bringing up her children. She inspired me by the way she allowed them to explore and be creative and discover who they were as she gently guided them. When Mary took on the running of toddlers she did it with the same quiet calmness. She approached it with kindness and compassion without expecting anything in return. We regularly had lunch together when she had finished in toddlers and I had finished in playgroup. We had many laughs together but were also able to share our cares and worries and pray for each other. She was always willing to offer any kind of help at any time - including the services of her husband, Duncan!! ... Who often came to sort out our DIY dilemmas. Mary's friendship was never demanding and always loyal. She made a big impact on my life and touched the lives of many others as she served God faithfully. I will miss her greatly."

   Becky would have liked to be here too, but had to be at school, but she asked me to say how amazing it has been to see Mary’s deep faith over these last months as she faced the reality of her illness and what it would mean for her and her family. She never complained about herself - her only concern was for the family and her sadness in not having more time with Duncan and Amy and James and she was comforted by God’s promise in the book of Jeremiah: My eyes will watch over them for their good, knowing that she could trust each one of them to the care of the God that she knew loved her and who she was sure she was going to be with in glory.