Joan Kathleen Smith was born on 10 April 1935 one of six children of parents Bett and Charlie Thomas. There was Charlie, Leslie and Peggy plus a brother and sister who were killed in separate bicycle accidents as children. Joan attended South Harrow Grammar School and although three years younger she met and fell in love with Maurice. At the age of 16 Maurice had a motorbike and following a tyre repair by a friend’s father he allowed his friend to ride the motorbike down the road with Maurice on pillion. The bike skidded at high speed into the back of a car and Maurice was thrown a considerable distance over a fence into a nearby orchard. The accident resulted in severe injury to Maurice’s leg which involved a long stay in hospital. Young love was not to be separated that easily and Joan played truant to visit Maurice in hospital, Joan’s dad was not well pleased and the wide leather belt he wore was removed and put to another use. Joan and Maurice were married on 21st June 1953in church at Harrow on the Hill and with very few cars around Maurice and Joan walked up the hill to the church to the sound of the bells ringing. As they approached the church the vicar threw open the doors and bid them enter. The honeymoon was in Hastings and whilst waiting for their train at Waterloo station Maurice went off in search of flowers for his new bride. At the stall Maurice saw four lovely peaches and bought these instead. The assistance said he looked very happy to which Maurice replied that he had just got married. The peaches were neatly packed in a box, gift wrapped with a little label of two bells. On arrival at the boarding house in Hastings the landlady suggested the couple may want to go for a walk but Maurice said no they were tired and would go to bed. The mattress turned out to have a large hole in it and had been repaired by having a sheet of plywood cover the mattress. Not the most comfortable start to married life. Maurice and Joan were blessed with three daughters Shirley, Linda and Carol all of whom married and each had three children. Shirley has Lindsey, Tracey and Peter. Linda has Helen, Richard and Claire and Carol has Craig, Lee and Neil. There are 6 great grandchildren and another on the way! There are far too many stories to recount them all today and one or two will have to suffice. On one occasion at a children’s sports event Maurice entered Joan into the sack race. Joan being a good sport entered in the event and caused such hilarity that Maurice who had been sitting on a wall, fell off and took a perfect photo of the sky. Mum was a bit of a choc-a-holic and always had sweets or a bit of chocolate in her pockets for the children, grandchildren or just for herself. Having lived most of their married life in Middlesex Maurice and Joan moved to Andover in Hampshire and it was from there that they moved to Spain 10 years ago. Spain had always been a favourite holiday destination often visiting not only the same town but the same hotel as well. On one occasion they were asked by two young ladies if they would go to a Time-Share presentation - the girls explained that they would earn 50 pounds if they accepted and so off they went just to oblige the girls. The following year the same girls approached them again with the same sales pitch and said – go on – you went last year for us. The friendly people and the warm climate persuaded Maurice and Joan to move to this part of Spain and they soon made themselves at home. Joan became quite proficient in Spanish and would have got better had she not suffered a stroke eight years ago. Over recent years Joan lost her sight in one eye and there was concern that she would not be able to drive. Maurice has not driven for 20 years because of his lack of mobility. But Maurice had good eyesight and would direct Joan along the straight and narrow. A typical example of their pulling together. Sometimes at night when sleep evaded them Maurice and Joan sat across the dining room table and talked. Joan’s eyes were bad and she’d say to Maurice tell me about this from the past or that from the past. Tell me about the time we did a special thing and they would hold hands and remember together. They would tell each other they made the right move and would never go back to England. Spain was to be their last home together. This past autumn Joan remembered each field they passed and the colours that would come in the spring. During her latest illness Joan was in hospital and Maurice couldn’t visit. He would telephone each evening and ask how she was. Joan would never tell Maurice of the pain but would say it’s OK I’ll be home soon. Maurice and Joan only ever had one boyfriend / girlfriend. Joan was the only girl in Maurice’s life. Almost 60 years together as teen agers and then man and wife. Joan will be sorely missed by all the family.