Such sad news, on behalf of Deb Bird, Kim Rudman and David Bird and our children and grandchildren.....our Amazing Mum passed from this world on Christmas morning.
Kim was with her, holding her hand in the dawn light, Mum squeezed Kim's hand and slipped away.
She had been battling an illness ...and had been in such pain... just a few days ago she said that when she does go, to remember she is now no longer feeling pain and is free.
To talk about our Mum will take more than a paragraph...
Mum was born Denise Beatrix Bowen. In 1941, the world was at war... in turmoil...and Mum was born as a force to be reckoned with.. as Gran (Trix) would say ..Mum followed her piper.
She was opinionated, from when she first began to speak.
She had a thirst for knowledge and quickly fell in love with reading anything!
She grew up with her younger sister Pauline in a small town, Te Puke, and went to primary and high school there. Was a competitive swimmer. Highland dancer ...Table tennis player, and a great many other things... she left school and worked as an office girl for her Dad's timber and sawmill...then she went hairdressing, at the age of 19 she fell for Deb and Shane's father... married and went and lived in Auckland..had Deb then closely followed by Shane. The marriage ended as quickly. They were both so young.
Mum took Deb and Shane back to Te Puke and they grew up there living with her, and Gran (Trix) and Grandad (Eion).
If anyone could describe her back then it was the sixties..she wore mini skirts.. witch's britches ..white patent leather boots...beehives and super awesome eye makeup.
For Deb and Shane, she was just like the in the song Harper Valley PTA..she did on more than one occasion, march into school..in her mini skirt and white leather boots and tear strips of their teachers for some injustice or another (the same is true for Kim and David, no miniskirts then though).. she was a force!
She met the absolute love of her life, David Bird, a Merchant Navy man from Hull in England.
He was working to get his Master's ticket... They only had eyes for each other.
He swept her off her feet ..but she swept him off his... he loved her so much, he took on Deb and Shane as well... and they did not make it easy.
But love rules and Den and Dave were just meant to be together. They married. Dave adopted Deb and Shane by deed poll and had a ceremony on that first Father's Day to call him Dad. Den and he both had tears.
Then Kim entered this world...and although Den was a force, Kim was a hurricane! She did not sleep for 18 months.... but she was oh so loved. She was so spoilt by us all. Mum used to joke and say David was the only one of us planned so Kim would have to share her universe... and share we all did when David arrived.
We all had great childhoods, and we all have different memories.
Den was interested in all things spiritual....and through this learning, met so many interesting and wonderful people that she became lifelong friends with, and who grew into our family... and our understandings about this world and beyond.
Tragedy hit when Shane died as a result of an accident. Soon to be followed by Grandad. These were dark times but because of her we came through...she was a force!
Deb, Kim and David grew up, travelled, got married, found partners, had children, grandchildren and got divorced...
Deb got married, had two kids, got divorced and even has her 1st wee grandchild called Trixie...
Kim married into a large family where she is Step-mum to 3, and grandmother to 7 (and another on the way) and she loves it!
David fell in love and has become a step-dad to two and dad of one...he loves being a dad...
Mum loved being who she was.
She will always be known as "DRAGON" by the grandchildren and great-grandchildren ... and she was so chuffed about that.
She helped us all through all our ups, and downs...and she always had Dad to lean on and to get strength from... until the day she didn't.
Dad passed away. and Mum was never quite the same again... there was always sadness just behind her eyes... her love gone... it made her question everything.
Gran became unable to live alone so Mum, Aunty Pauline and Gran became the Golden Girls of Papamoa Beach for a few years.
Gran (Beatrix, Trix Bowen) passed away on her 99th birthday...very loved.
Mum then moved into a sweet little cottage on Kim and Grant's property in the Lower Kaimais of Tauranga. There she developed a beautiful garden..she got joy from the garden, and from her birds that visited daily. She swears a Tui would say hello to her... she lived a peaceful life ..for a while she still drove down to Welly and spent time staying with Deb and David and their families, who she adored. With friends ashtrays and wine or black coffee, never that far away.
She began to smile again, But never quite the same.
Mum made sure we all knew she loved us equally...and we knew we were loved. She was so proud of what each of us had achieved.
She loved her sister Pauline, and spoke to her just about every day...they would see each other more than often.
Mum was a Rothmans smoking, black coffee drinking, Lisbon lemon on toast with salt eating..wine drinking...off-key singer...loud sneezing.... political debater...opinion sharing... coronation street watcher (even if she did get wild with the scriptwriters) ..amazing and truthful, honest friend...and adviser in all things... she was a force!
There are so many stories and adventures we all had with her, she could put the world to rights... she has given us all love..laughter...so many wonderful memories which hold sadness as well as happiness.....and now tears at her passing, as we know we will never hug her, or kiss her in this life again....but we know she is now having a reunion of happiness back with the love of her life..and pain-free...and know she will be near...whenever we need her to be.
Our hearts are filled with love for her, and each other. She was a FORCE!