Eileen Willmott

My beautiful nan was born in Swansea on the 24th March 1926. In 1947 she joined the NAFFI and was posted to Arborfield where she met my Grandad he was a Sergent in the Corps, they were married in 1949 and were posted to Klagenfurt Austria, My mum was born in July 1950, the three of them returned to Reading in 1953. Most of nan's working life was with Sainsburys where for 25 years she was fondly known as "willie" she retired in 1986. Nan was a very active lady and enjoyed playing tennis and was part of a ten pin bowling league along with my Mum. Nan was also a keen and skilful angler and enjoyed angling holidays along with my Grandad and Mum, nan was the Ladies Thames Champion on two occasions and also had a top three place in a national competition. Nan loved her dancing and was a member of the Civil service Sequence Dance Club. Myself, my sister Tammy, my mum and dad all do Ballroom and latin Dancing and Nan loved nothing more than to watch us dance, she was always very proud of us. For their 50th wedding aniversary nan, grandad, mum and dad went on a special cruise they waded in to the caribbean sea and opened a bottle of champagne they later re-took their wedding vows on the bridge of the ship before dinning at the Captains table. On October the 1st 2004 Nan was made the proud Great Nanny to Taylor Emily whom she spoilt rotten and loved dearly. Nan was proud to be Welsh and on quite a few occasions we have liken her to a fiery red dragon, just like the one on the welsh flag!!! it was this fight and her stubborn resolve that was shown in her incredible fight against Leukaemia when she was diagnosed in March 2008, she defied all the time scales, after all her grandaughter Tammy was getting married on the 3rd may 2008 and there was no way that she was goin to miss that. Nan made the wedding and looked BEAUTIFUL, she took her place at the top table as the head of the family. Nan carried on defiying all the time scales proving all of us wrong, with countless trips in to the hospital which i have to say were not always doom n gloom, I heard so many stories whilst sat at her bed side of what she used to get up to when she was a teenager and how she met my grandad and the things that they used to get up to, family party's and holidays, so many visits were spent reminiscing and laughing at the good old days, then one day she was very poorly I had gone in to see her and she was sleeping, I said my good byes whispered that i loved her, kissed her gently and went home fearing the worst, my mum spent the night on a camp bed at her side, only to have her the next morning ask for cornflakes and a cup of coffee!!! that was Nan all over, just full of surprises, she was the most amazing woman ever and i am proud to say that she is my NAN, sadly Nan lost her fight against Leukaemia on the 10th September 2008 she fell asleep with myself, my Mum and Grandad at her side. Nan I Love You and Miss You Every Day x x x x