Give my love and hugs to everyone, sorry I can’t be there, thinking of you all at this sad time and I will keep in touch xx

Mum’s Eulogy I don’t think I need to explain why we are here, I truly wish that we could’ve all gathered together in person, supporting each other as we grieve, but thank you to everyone that has joined us over video link, we know you are feeling this sadness just as much as we are. Mum was born on the 26th March 1949 in Auckland to Daisy Marion callender and Raymond Phillip Wooster. Together they had 4 children Marlene, Ronnie, Kevin and Mum. Unfortunately when Ronnie was only two years old he died of spinal meningitis. Mum had a pretty tough start to life, she knew loss and tragedy at a young age, when she was just 18 months old her mum died of tuberculosis and so her dad was left to raise 3 children on his own and as you can imagine it wasn’t easy. Eventually the family moved to Napier and that’s when things changed again, Raymond was unable to cope and Mum, Marlene and Kevin were placed in foster care, which is hard enough but what made it harder was that they were all sent to separate homes and were not able to see each other. I remember Mum mentioning that this time of her life was really difficult. Soon though they were reunited as a family and Raymond remarried a woman named Dot, together they had 5 children Janice, David, Wayne, Ian and Mark. At this point Mum wasn’t happy and eventually chose to live in a girls home. Then once again tragedy hit the family and Raymond and 2 of his stepsons went missing while they were out fishing in a boat. Both of the boys bodies were found but unfortunately mums dad was never found. Mums sister, Marlene, told me that they use to say that he must have met a mermaid and that’s why he never came back. Mum had 8 children altogether, with Michael she had three children Michelle, Phillip and Steven With Jim she had three children Liz, William and Christopher And with John she had two children Julieanne and Jason. We may have different dads but we are all brothers and sisters. Mum had 17 grandchildren and she had a very special bond with her grandson Tyler they were best buddies. She was also a great grandmother to 3 but unfortunately she never got to meet them in person. She was the central piece to this big and crazy family and loved each and every one of us. Mum worked hard all her life and never had it easy. She experienced pain, loss and tragedy but this made her the tough little fighter she was. She made friends wherever she went and people loved her. If you were kind to mum she would be kind in return but if you pushed her buttons she would not hold back. I think she may have passed that streak on to some of her children! John and Mum moved to Te Kuiti in 2000 and it was the best move for Mum, this is where she was the happiest. She finally found a place where she could put down roots and settle. Mum got a cleaning job at the Te Kuiti motel, then when that motel was sold she began working at the local pub, she was then offered a job at the beef plant which is where she stayed until she became too ill to continue. It was a job that she enjoyed, I remember her talking about all the things that would go on there, she was the gossip queen. She really missed being able to work. Mum always kept up to date with the latest news...Fox News was her favourite. She would talk about the shootings in America, fires in Australia, flooding, wars, presidential elections, conspiracy theories, the latest been the COVID vaccine and she believed all of them, then she would ring me and tell me all about it. When she asked me if I had heard about it I would joke with her that I didn’t need to because she was my news bulletin and kept me up to date. Mums health deteriorated and as the years went on she became more and more housebound. This annoyed her so much, not having the ability to be independent and do the things she loved. Mum, you are at peace now, you will forever be in our hearts, and we will miss you each and every day. Until we meet again. Love you Mum

Aunty Linda I have many fun memories from my childhood involving you, uncle john, julieanne and Jason, especially from westshore, I will always remember your laugh and beautiful smile, always happy, You will forever be in my heart ❤

Thankyou Linda for the memories and laughter we shared. For the crazy times, funny times, ups and downs that made family our life. You enriched my life with the beauty and love of your children. For this I could never thankyou enough. You were an amazing, very special person, rest in peace xxx

My mum was a really good cook. I had cooked meals every night in my younger days. It was ready by 6pm. Mums very famous mash potato, stuffed roast chicken meals. Dad did the stuffing, she did the rest. She was the boss. She made really big meals as if she was cooking for an army. She loved cleaning she worked at many motels in Napier. In my younger days living in Napier mum use to smack my bottom with the wooden spoons if I played up. One day I sneakily removed all of Mum’s spoons in her cooking draw and chucked them in the rubbish bin on rubbish day. She was wondered why I was waiting at the window all excited for the rubbish truck. Later to find she had no cooking spoons! At the age of 14 mum and dad decided it was time for change and decided Te Kuiti was it. From day one mum was happy in Te Kuiti. She liked it from the beginning. Dad was trapped here now - we are staying. She liked the friendly people. She got her first job at The Te Kuiti Hotel as a cleaner from 2005 -2010. Mum knew it was in the Te Kuiti Hotel was going to closing for the new Supermarket to be built, so she moved on from there in 2010 and started new employment at Universal Beef Packers as the Laundry Lady. Everyone loved her as she was friendly. The guys would even carry the laundry bags for her. No one ever did that for any of the other laundry ladies. Mum always had the gossip as everyone stopped in for a catch up at the laundry. There were times she would fine amounts of money in the washing machines. she said amounts of fifty dollars to two hundred dollars. It always got claimed, but she wasn’t telling anyone how much she’d found. They would need to tell her how much and what coloured notes they were before it would get handed over. The House was spot less. Dishes, vacuuming, washing, washed, hung and folded. Mum was to quick. Washing never sat around. When I moved out of home, I actually had to get Shanna to show me how to use a washing machine. Mail was checked daily. If there was mail for me the I received a “knock Knock” on my bedroom door . If I didn’t yell out “hang on” quick enough the door would fly open and I got my mail hand delivered. Mum did not want mail sitting on the table. The house would have been too messy. Mum liked everything in order. Mum was a good referee. She would sort anything out even if she had to get in there and sort Tessa the dog and Person’s the Cat out. I would always hear “cut it out you two”!. I was a night shift worker. I liked sleeping in. Visits from Mum and Dad were 10 or11am in the morning. I lived at Flat 6/19 Anzac Street and then in a house at number 23 Anzac Street. There were a few knocks at the door and if I took too long to answer she would go and knock on every single window. She made sure I got out of bed for their visits. In 2016 I bought my first house with Shanna at 6 Lusk Street. Unfortunately the window knocking stopped as the bedroom windows were too high from the ground. But the phone calls started. “I’m here! Can you let me in?” Mum was the boss of everything. Even if she wasn’t driving, she would tell you how to drive. I know things started to slow in the last year and she trained Dad on how to use the atm machine. Dad started doing grocery shopping as well but Mum never trusted Dad’s grocery shopping as he use to fill the trolley right to the top. You’re always in my Memories Mum Love John, Jason & Shanna

Nana/ Nanny Linda we love you so very much. You always gave us lollies and chocolates when we visited you and Grandad. You always had things for us even if you were told no by mum. We always loved chatting to you on the phone when mum would call you and grandad. We will miss you so much. We love you even more. Something from Tyler; I always loved coming to stay with you and grandad in the holidays. You would take me to Video Ezy and hire a Play station 2 and a few games. You always helped me pick games to play and grandad would play a game or 2 with me. You would take me to work with you and if there was money in the dryer you would let me have it. When you worked at the hotel I would come and help you there too. I will miss you so much and I love you even more.

Mum where do I start… Best memories I have of you are, you always made sure Jason and I were always had what we wanted even if you and Dad went without. You always made us laugh with how you liked the house clean a certain way (always Linda’s way) you always kept dad on his toes too. Driving with you was always an experience. You would tell us all how to drive constantly didn’t matter who was driving. You were a huge support when I had Tyler at a young age. You were forever telling us new facts that we never knew. I will never be able to thank you for being you enough. I will miss your voice the most of all. To hear you one more time would be the best present. Mum I will always love you. Always and forever. Love Julieanne and Nick.

"During your times of trial and suffering, when you see only one set of footprints, it was then that I carried you." In reference to the poem entitled Footprints. https://www.onlythebible.com/Poems/Footprints-in-the-Sand-Poem.html