Orli Grobler’s eulogy to her Mummy.

14.03.2003 – Stone Setting

Yud , Adar Biet, TaShSnaG

It’s been 30 days since we bid you farewell knowing we would not see you again, 30 days of aching for you smile, your voice, for you to just be there.

And today, I decided on this occasion that I should tell people about who you were, for you were so many things to me, to daddy, to my brothers…the people gathered here with us knew you also, but they did not know perhaps what we knew.

Mummy was a truly kind, gentle, caring and very kind hearted soul. We used to tell her when we were ill that she could have been a nurse because she was so good in taking care of us and worrying for us. She was the type of person that would think of how to cheer you up when you weren’t feeling well, and since she knew us so well, she knew what to do. It was the simplest of things that one can do that can make you so happy…like buying me a chocolate coated donut when I was stuck at home with mono.

Mummy loved flowers. Whether big fields, planted or bouquet. Her favorite was gladiola, but she also liked many others. When she married she told me she had pink and white roses. When they would say on the 9’ O’clock news about a field of irises blossoming in Israel, Mummy would ask to drive there and see it, she also photographed it so she could later paint it. And for any occasion, birthday, anniversary or holiday just bringing flowers would make her content. She just loved them. Mummy we made sure you would have flowers here as well, all the time.

Mummy loved Music. I always felt that my taste in music ascended from Mummy, naturally not all of it…but some. It’s through Mummy that I can appreciate classical music, for Mummy enjoyed classical, and if it wasn’t for Mummy I don’t know if could have ever have gotten to know that wonderful world of musicals and operetta’s. When Mummy still lived in England she went to see, all or most of the Gilbert and Sullivan operettas. She also enjoyed pop music such as Abba and even Israeli music such as Yehoram Ga’aon, Ethnics and she even got to see Pavarotti in concert.

I remember when I was a little girl Mummy would put on her records of Mozart, Abba, Midsummer Night Dream by Mendelson and others. She got sheer pleasure from listening to music.

Mummy loved reading also. She said a book could keep her company that they were like friends; she always enjoyed reading from a young age. As a young girl when her mother was working she would take her self off to the library, she even worked at the library during her school years. Our home has lots of her books, and I have read some my self and you can truly delve in to another world with them. She was very knowledgeable through her reading as I recall once I was surprised by her knowledge on some topic and I asked her how did she know this so she told me with a smile, ‘ I read anything’…and true, she enjoyed reading books, newspapers, articles I would print out from the internet, letters from friends,…just about anything, she didn’t waste her time watching loads of TV as some do.

You have all seen Mummy’s art work; Mummy’s favorite hobby was painting in oil. She was truly talented, and though painting sceneries in oil was her favorite hobby she was in general very gifted with her hands. She could knit marvelously and made us sweaters to keep us warm in the winter…they are so much better than anything you would buy, she knitted daddy a sweater for bowls. She could also embroider very nicely and in general she was a very creative and innovative woman. She could come up with many solutions for various things. She was quite practical. I will always remember the barbi doll house she made for me.

She had an excellent sense of style, whether it is in her own dress manner or in the interior design of the house. It was just another side of creativeness and talent. She wasn’t one to go exactly by the book so to speak. She knew that one could mix and match quite successfully, some people I suppose are afraid to try and do that, but mummy wasn’t, she had the confidence as she knew what she was doing. She was very independent and believed in independence thus she would not force us to dress how she would like, when I was young she let me choose my own cloths and make my own mistakes w/ colors as she never appreciated being made to wear pink by her mother.

And there is so much more…but I think these are the main things, and I just want to say that mummy was the one who listened to me and all the mad sense I made, she was my heart, my soul, my inspiration, she was one of the few things worth remembering, so I hope I’ll remember everything we shared.

I know mummy, that I didn’t say thank you or how much I love you anywhere near enough and I regret being that way, but that is just me. But than I also know or have to believe, that you knew, you knew exactly how much I loved you and how difficult it is for me, daddy and my brothers without you but I reflect on something a friend told me to draw some comfort, it hurts this much because you were so wonderful, so we should be happy for the time we had with you, for the luck of having you as our mother and wife for daddy, we’re just sad right now for the time that was robbed from us, but I will also remember your advice to me when my grandmother past away and I’ll reflect on the good times we had with you in order to be happy again, as I know that all you wanted for us to be happy.