The obituary notice of Eileen SMITH

To Mandy and family. Sending my condolences for your dear mother and grandma.
Sharon S xx

Mam,
You were the kindest, most loving person anyone could ever meet. There was so much warmth in you and I was so lucky to call you mine. I loved how your face could say a thousand words without you even speaking. 

My heart is broken in a way I don’t think it will ever fully heal. There’s a space where you should be, and I know nothing will ever truly fill it. Life just won’t be the same without you in it.
I think what I’ll miss most is talking to you—those everyday conversations that meant everything, even when they seemed small at the time. I’ll miss your voice, your comfort, your way of making things right.

I hope you’re at peace now, free from pain, and back with Triple G, grandad and the family friends you’ve missed.
I love you more than words can ever say, and I always will.

Nan E,

Firstly, I don’t think there are any words I could leave here to express the emptiness I feel now that you have gone.

You were the most amazing woman. You had an incredible ability to show empathy towards others, despite your own struggles. That summed you up as a person. Regardless of the tribulation you faced, making those around you happy was always your objective.

I also want to thank you for showing the same love towards Alex, that you did towards me. You made her feel at ease integrating into our family and for that, I will be eternally grateful.

I will cherish the boundless memories with you and carry them with me for the rest of my life. The world would be a better place if it had more people like you. I love you unconditionally.

Tina Turner couldn’t have put it any better.
Simply the Best.

Brandon❤️

Eileen,

You may not have been my nannie by blood but you always treat me as though I was your own grandchild. You filled a hole in my life that I never knew I was missing after losing my own grandparents.

Your warmth and generosity shone throughout my time knowing you. I feel very privileged to have known you and can only be selfish in wishing it had been for longer.
Your kindness and selflessness reflect through your grandchildren and I can only thank you for showing Brandon how to love so hard.
You always spoke so kindly and passionately about those that you loved, I will miss hearing this the most.
If I am even a shred of the woman that you were then I’ll know I’m doing something right.
All my love, Alex x

Nannie,
What a beautiful send off for a beautiful soul. I wish you could understand the size of the hole you’ve left in all of our lives.
I hope I did you proud today getting up to try my best to honour you… sorry I couldn’t finish what I had written down, I think someone must’ve been cutting onions in the chapel!
Jokes aside I’m selfishly devastated you’re gone but know that you’re out of your pain and suffering now.
Everyone who knew you well spoke about your selflessness and how much of a caring person you were, and I’m going to try and carry a piece of that with me in my life and take time to be more like you.
Until we meet again Nannie
Love you to bits x

“I just want to start by thanking everyone for coming today to celebrate the life of the legend that was my Nannie.

I know she’d be proud as punch looking down at me getting up here… but I also know she had a good enough sense of humour to be having a little chuckle at the fact I’m absolutely bricking it.

I’ll keep this fairly brief, as Janet has already painted such a beautiful picture of the kind of woman my Nannie was — so thank you for that.

I just want to share a conversation I had with her not long ago, because I think it says everything about who she was.

I went round to see her and we were having a laugh like we always did. But then the conversation turned to what was happening, and what was to come.

As you can imagine, I started to get a bit upset. But being the person she was, she shut that down straight away and told me there was to be no tears… which is easier said than done today.

She told me she wasn’t afraid, that she’d made peace, that she’d had a lot of happy years, and that she was most content with her family — who she loved beyond words.

And honestly, hearing her say that brought me a lot of peace. Even in that moment, her attitude and her strength were incredible. Always putting other people first.

She was the most caring, selfless person you could ever meet, and that’s why she meant the world to all of us.

Thank you Nannie, for everything. For the love, the laughs, the memories, the inspirational attitude… and not forgetting all the hunter’s chicken.

You’ll be a massive miss.

Love you to bits.”

“I just want to start by thanking everyone for coming today to celebrate the life of the legend that was my Nannie.

I know she’d be proud as punch looking down at me getting up here… but I also know she had a good enough sense of humour to be having a little chuckle at the fact I’m absolutely bricking it.


I’ll keep this fairly brief, as Janet has already painted such a beautiful picture of the kind of woman my Nannie was — so thank you for that.

I just want to share a conversation I had with her not long ago, because I think it says everything about who she was.

I went round to see her and we were having a laugh like we always did. But then the conversation turned to what was happening, and what was to come.

As you can imagine, I started to get a bit upset. But being the person she was, she shut that down straight away and told me there was to be no tears… which is easier said than done today.

She told me she wasn’t afraid, that she’d made peace, that she’d had a lot of happy years, and that she was most content with her family — who she loved beyond words.

And honestly, hearing her say that brought me a lot of peace. Even in that moment, her attitude and her strength were incredible. Always putting other people first.

She was the most caring, selfless person you could ever meet, and that’s why she meant the world to all of us.

Thank you Nannie, for everything. For the love, the laughs, the memories, the inspirational attitude… and not forgetting all the hunter’s chicken!

You’ll be a massive miss.

Love you to bits.”

My Nan was a nurse, which feels fitting for a woman who exuded compassion and generosity. She would never miss an opportunity to be kind, although as a self-professed lover of people-watching, she could certainly give strangers some unforgiving looks.

Her demeanour never exposed the hardship she endured, and she refused to complain—primarily, she would say, because nobody would listen anyway. She cloaked her resilience in modesty, but was undoubtedly one of the strongest people I have ever known.

She was also the keenest supporter of any ambition I ever held, even when that ambition was simply eating fruit pastilles while reading with her close to bedtime. She had a profound love for her family and friends, and even in her final weeks, she was focused on reassuring us—telling us that she had lived a good life. In truth, many of us have a good life because she was part of it.

My Nan will live on in each of us—in our memories, in the way we treat others, and, for me, in the aspiration to be even half the person she was. I love you, Nan.