As you go along life’s way,

Whatever path you choose,

You come across so many different people,

Yet, try as hard as you may,

You’ll never meet a lovelier man than

Ainsworth

I knew him for just a brief glimpse of time

Yet from him I learnt so much

Of life and love and all that is good.

Small of stature, yet big in things that count…

Decency, honesty, a man worthy to bear the name

Gentleman.

Gentle ways, gentle nature,

One who cared more deeply than we will ever know.

But he is gone – and oh the difference now!

The world is a poorer place without him,

Yet somehow richer because of his life.

Yet he is not gone, he waits just around the corner,

One day we will meet him there – never again to part.

Meanwhile, as we wait, we still have his love, his smile

And our beautiful memories of a lovely man

Husband, father, friend to us

And a worthy example to all.

Composed in memory of Jean’s dad Joseph Ainsworth Musgrove.

A lovely man.  Forever loved by all who knew him and adored by his wife to this day.

A love story

Jack and Phyll Newberry

In the dark days towards the end of the Second World War, a young girl, Phyll Surringer had made her way to the Celtic Ballroom in Newport Road in Cardiff. She was with her friend Winnie Northway, both were young and both were sitting waiting to be asked to dance. As they waited, in walked a handsome young soldier who was home on leave.  He was looking for a good evening as he enjoyed precious time at home, away from his barracks in Bulford, Salisbury. He was there doing his duty preparing to serve king and country in Europe pushing the German army back through Europe.

As Phyll saw him she pointed him out to Winnie and said that if she were ever to marry it would be to him. She could never have possibly known how prophetic those words were and how many other lives would be impacted in the years that lay ahead.

Before long the handsome soldier had spotted Phyll across the crowded dance hall. He crossed the floor and asked her to dance and her head was in a whirl as they glided across the dance floor in each other’s arms. Maybe it was her gentle good looks or the striking blue dress she wore or maybe it was guiding hand of someone they did not yet know, but one thing was certain, even at this early stage, they were rapidly falling in love.

Her soldier asked if she would allow him to walk her home, but in some Cinderella like parody, Phyll refused saying she had to leave early. She was on duty at the First Aid post in Grangetown and she hurriedly scribbled the phone number of the Post and handed it to the young man who had so suddenly brought this ray of sunshine into her dark life, pleading with him to ring her that evening to arrange a time when they could meet again. Jack, as her young soldier friend was called, gripped the paper tightly as she left. It was his only link with this young lady he was desperate to get to know a little better.

Phyll rushed through the dark night, tonight of all nights cursing her luck that the call of duty should so cruelly tear her away from her soldier. Worse news was to come. When she got to the First Aid Post she was told that due to lack of action from the German bombers, the Post was to be closed and she would not be needed. She was sent home and would not be there when Jack rang. When he made the call some time later, he was devastated when he was told Phyll was not there and no contact number or address was known. Two sad hearts in different parts of the city longed for each other but neither knew where the other one was but both dreaded that contact was lost forever.

The following Tuesday Phyll and Winnie hatched a plan. The authorities had decreed that any female worker whose boyfriend was home on leave should be allowed time off to see him. Despite not having young men serving the country, Phyll and Winnie applied for and were granted time off and decided to go dancing, Phyll hoping against hope that she would again meet Jack, but what chance? Where was her handsome soldier? Maybe he was back at his base in Salisbury, maybe somewhere in Europe. Phyll and Winnie discussed where they should go; there were many possibilities, The Connaught Rooms and The City Hall were their favourites but the lure of the Celtic was too strong, maybe just maybe….

When they entered Phyll’s eyes noted who was there or maybe more importantly who was not. The room was full of soldiers, but there was no sign of Jack. She felt so low. As time wore on she was asked to dance and was in the arms of another, when it was as if the sun had forced its way through the dark clouds and Jack her handsome soldier appeared. He too had been hoping against hope that the beauty in the blue dress would be there. When he saw her he lost no time in tapping the soldier who held her and he took her into his arms in an embrace that was to linger for the next sixty three years. At the end of the evening Jack walked her to her home in Grangetown before walking back to his home in Ely.

He called early the next day and they walked the Mile Road together, both wishing in their hearts it was called the Twenty Mile Road and they shared precious hours together, they knew times like this would be so limited in the future, as the dark clouds of war still hung menacingly overhead. Many dangers and long weeks of separation lie ahead. Both knew that whatever the future held, the new love they had found was now permanently fixed into their hearts. They thought about not only the immediate future but also about the long term. Would they have a family, would they grow old together? What would they be like in their eighties?

They met several more times before Jack was called away to serve his country, liberating Europe from the stranglehold of the Germans. They wrote to each other whenever they could and wherever they were and Phyll would sneak away quietly to read Jack’s letters as they arrived at her home back in Wales.  One poem that Jack sent Phyll has always remained their own special secret.

Written by Elizabeth Barrett Browning…

‘How do I love thee? Let me count the ways….

The letters Jack received, he kept with him wherever he went. Knowing he was loved him gave him untold strength as he faced the horrors of war.

As the year changed Jack and Phyll knew in their hearts that they would be together forever and on 3^rd February 1945, while Jack was fighting in Belgium, they got engaged and Fanny, Jack’s mum went into Cardiff with Phyll to buy the ring. Later the same year as the war in Europe ended the young couple looked forward to being together but their hopes were dashed as Jack was posted to Palestine for nine months. More letters followed each one bringing closer the day they could be together forever.

In early 1946 Jack was de-mobbed and preparations for their wedding began.  They were married at 12 noon on Saturday 29^th June 1946 in St John’s Church, Cardiff.

The bride looked stunning and was given away by her dad, William.  Glenys and Barbara, Jack’s two younger sisters, accompanied her. Jack had asked his friend Sid Dukes to be his best man. I was a beautiful service and finally the two young people promised their future to each other come what may and knew that they would be together forever. After the ceremony the wedding party travelled the short distance to The Philharmonic in St Mary Street where all enjoyed a wonderful reception ~ as wonderful as early post-war time rationing would allow.

At 11.00 pm the same day, the happy couple caught an overnight train to Cornwall where they honeymooned near St Mawes in Cornwall staying in Feock near the Punchbowl and Ladle Hotel. During the train ride they had to sit opposite each other in a cramped compartment but their exchanged glances spoke volumes about the plans they had for their future. What would it hold? Had they been able to write the script themselves they would not have dared write such happiness into their story. After some tough, very tough early days God saw fit to smile on this special young couple. He had great plans for them.

After a week in Cornwall Jack and Phyll returned to their new home. They had turned down offers of accommodation from both sets of parents, so determined were they to make a home for themselves.

Their first home was an attic flat in 11, Fitzhamon Embankment, their landlady was a prostitute and made life very difficult for Jack and Phyll. Within a year their first child arrived, born at 201, Penarth Road, Phyll’s old home. The arrival of John brought its own difficulties but the unique bond of love between Jack and Phyll was being strengthened day by day.

In 1949 something happened which was to have a huge impact on their marriage and future lives together. Jack was working for a firm of building contractors in Cardiff and found himself working alongside a cheerful electrician by the name of Bill Dobbs. Bill was a Christian and during their work Bill invited Jack to attend a Big Tent Gospel Campaign being run by an ex heavyweight boxing champion called Stan Ford. Jack refused saying it was not really his scene, but a few days later after spotting an advert for the same event, Jack decided to go along. The tent was situated on the land where the Millennium Stadium stands today. Incredibly, he responded to the appeals of the evangelist and became a Christian. As he walked forward to receive counselling, who should walk towards him but the electrician Bill Dobbs.

Bill’s face lit up and he questioned,  “You’ve done it haven’t you?”

They embraced and a life long friendship ~ friends, united in Jesus Christ, was born. Jack wondered what implications his new found faith would have on his life. The following night he took Phyll to the Big Tent and incredibly, as the hymn ‘Just as I am’ was finishing Phyll stood up and committed her life to Christ.

In 1949 they were able to move to a new place near Phyll’s mum at 205, Penarth Road in Grangetown and the new lower rent meant they could just about afford to buy a new bedroom suite on hire purchase.

A change of landlord brought about some more very difficult times, especially when their second child, a boy called Roger William was born in October 1950. Conditions became almost unbearable and only the strength of their love for each other and their young family enabled Jack and Phyll to cope.

They applied for a council house and when a council inspector called to the flat to see a bedroom containing a double bed, a single bed and a cot, as well as all Jack’s tools and equipment, a move seemed imminent.  A large post war building programme out in the suburbs was under way and one glorious day Jack and Phyll received a letter from the council telling them they had been given a council house at 5, St Dogmaels Avenue in Llanishen.

God was continuing His work in their lives. They moved in within minutes of the builders moving out! The sense of freedom was marvellous.  Incredibly the cheerful electrician Bill Dobbs and his wife Ruby joined them within a few short weeks. They too had been moved to a council house in Llanishen, just around the corner in Fishguard Road. Within weeks a third child was born, a girl Joy Elaine. The sense of ‘joy’ in the little family was almost tangible. God was good.

Up until then Jack and Phyll had been attending Ebenezer Gospel Hall in Grangetown with Bill, but since the move, a new place of worship was required and the choice lay between Mackintosh Gospel Hall or a small house based church run by Mr and Mrs Thrower at their home in 97, Fidlas Road. Jack and Phyll chose Mackintosh but always felt a little uneasy as they passed The Thrower’s. Before too long they joined The Throwers and a great adventure would soon begin which would lead to them establishing a place of worship at the very centre of the Estate where they lived.

A piece of ground had been set aside as a place of worship and some Christians in Cardiff, including Jack and Phyll and Bill and Ruby and the Throwers set about establishing a church. A tent campaign led by that heavyweight boxer Stan Ford was set up. The work had started!

Following the tent a more permanent building was needed. A green corrugated hut was found in Bedlinog in the South Wales Valleys and Jack, Bill, Jim Orr and a few others set about dismantling the building and transporting it back to Llanishen. The vision, hard work and determination of these young men knew no bounds.  Friendships forged in those exciting days would stand the test of time.

The new church, Llanishen Gospel Hall, began to grow and Jack was asked would he look after the door, he accepted and so began a humble line of service that is still continuing faithfully after fifty three years.

Jack and Phyll found new friends, Charles and Eileen Hallet, Captain Tom and Mrs Dorothy Morgan, Aubrey and Lillian Roberts and Herbert and Eileen Dalling. Girls and boys’ youth clubs were set up and Jack and Phyll became involved winning the confidence of young and old alike. A new building, a permanent brick building was built in 1956. With the new building came a new name, Emmaus Chapel. Jim Orr, a builder, took overall responsibility but young and old alike, pitched in and the new building was built by and belonged to everybody. New friends came along, Arthur and Dorothy Berry, Eddie and Haulwen Hunt, Mike and Sheila Burr and John Lord among others.

During this time the young people of the Emmaus were attracted to Jack and Phyll’s home and very often their house would be full to bursting with young people singing and enjoying spending time together. Many lifelong friendships were formed in those happy days. People like Lindsay and Jackie Morgan, John and Mary Patterson, Marilyn Powell, Gaynor Britton, David Jones, Mavis Adney and many others were all influenced by Jack and Phyll’s hospitality.

As their children grew up through the fifties and sixties, their life was simple but idyllic. Home in St Dogmaels Avenue was always open for friends to join them. Paul Pace was just one example of friends who became a part of this unique family. They enjoyed holidays every year, visiting places like Fontygary, St Ives, Blue Anchor, Broadhaven and many places in between.  God looked after the family and Jack and Phyll’s love shone out and touched the lives of all who knew them.

The first child to fly the nest was John who married Christine Cummings on 5^th September 1969. Emmaus Chapel was the venue and Herbert Dalling conducted the service. It was such a good day and a milestone for The Newberry family.

Jack and Phyll celebrated their twenty fifth Wedding Anniversary on 29^th June 1971.

Joy, the only girl in the family, married Douglas Reed on September 22^nd 1973. Eddie Hunt conducted the service and the reception was held at Cardiff Castle. Roger married Jean Musgrove on 11^th October 1975. Charles Hallet conducted the service and again Cardiff Castle was the venue for the reception.

The family home was now empty and Jack and Phyll discovered a new freedom. They adapted by opening a flower shop in Grangetown. It meant Phyll leaving her job in the Inland Revenue. In due course Jack left his job in the Department of the Environment and soon both were working in the business. They enjoyed each others company and their love continued to blossom and proved an inspiration to their children as they started to build homes and new families of their own. They were still committed to the work of Emmaus and over the years new friends joined, Norman and Ann Curtis, Roy Shears, Muriel Lampert and in recent years, Peter and Olive Shin and their girls, Lisa Stavsky and Michael and Joy Dibua.

They celebrated their Golden Wedding Anniversary on 29^th June 1996 with a family celebration at The Farmer’s Daughter Restaurant.

As time went on, advancing years brought with them time for reflection and appreciation of how God had dealt with them. His hand was leading and guiding them even before they knew Him. Many lives had been touched. As they celebrated sixty years of happiness family and friends gathered to show their love and affection and to pay tribute to a remarkable love, a love that has impacted the lives of so many people.

As Jack and Phyll themselves look back on a remarkable journey of love, the words of their poem will swirl around in their minds…

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways… and they will both decide that is an impossible thing to do. It is impossible to count the ways they love each other, impossible to measure how much they think of each other and impossible to put a value on something so very precious.

The future?

Their future was in the hands of God who sixty years ago brought those two young people together, the same God who had guided, protected, cared for and loved them and allowed His love to shine out touching the lives of all who knew them.

Post script to A Love Story

The future turned out to be a time of calm quiet reflection for them both. During the few years that followed God gave them three more years together. Advancing years slowed them down but they remained able to look after themselves. Mum loved her garden and as each Spring came around the seeds would be planted and new life would begin again. All our homes bore testimony to her skills. Dad loved the Spring when the daffodils appeared, he would say that the daffodils looked like they were trumpeting in the warmer weather.

Each Saturday, we were drawn to the family home and each Saturday mum would have food ready for us all, as usual nothing was too much trouble for her. She set us a wonderful example of the importance of hard work and how to love and care for the family she loved so much.

More great-grandchildren came along…they loved Jack Noah, Rueben, Ben and Zak and loved it whenever they came to visit. We were never quite sure how they did it but as the family grew so did their love. They never loved us less as there became more people to love they just drew on their deep reserves and each from oldest to youngest knew how special they were and how much they were loved. In March 2009 they rejoiced with Gareth and Keri with the news that a new great-grandchild was coming.

Despite having attended the  60th Anniversary of the D.Day landings in 2004, by 2009 declining health meant dad was unable to travel to Normandy for the D-day 65^th Anniversary celebrations. Roger and Gareth represented him at ceremonies in Ranville and Caen. They proudly accepted another badge of honour on his behalf and wore caps saying ‘Veteran’s Family’

We all knew one awful day the family chain would be broken and on 22^nd August 2009 our dear father was called home.

The end came very quickly after  short illness. John, Joy and mum were with him when he went but Roger, Jean and Bethany were in Canada on holiday and needed to arrange emergency flights home to be with the family. We were all devastated but needed to be strong for mum. A wonderful and moving service of thanksgiving for his wonderful life was held at Llanishen EvangelicalChurch on Thursday September 1st 2009. Dad was buried at Thornhill Cemetery. The parting was devastating!

We all feared for mum but she remained amazingly strong…maybe she did it for us! There were times when our grief almost overwhelmed us, but our hope as Believers that one day we will see him kept us going through those dark days.

In October 2009 Roger and Jean had arranged for mum to have a holiday in West Wales and as John was taking her down, she suffered a massive stroke near her spinal cord. She was admitted to The University Hospital of Wales for emergency treatment. Sadly our dear mum never returned to the family home. She grew a little weaker each day but shortly after Christmas was delighted to hold baby Mia, daughter of Gareth and Keri and her sixth great-grandchild and first great-granddaughter. It was almost as if she were waiting for Mia to arrive as shortly afterwards on Monday 4^th January 2010 mum left us to be with dad. Amazingly Roger and Jean were with her as she went, it was as if God meant it to be as they were so far away when dad died.

We thanked God for her wonderful life in another special service at Emmaus Chapel on Monday 18^th January and she was laid to rest with dad at Thornhill.

Two crosses stood on the spot side by side in the ground mirroring the way these two great people stood side by side in life. They were inseparable in life and they will be inseparable in death.

The love story, which had begun so many years before continues both in heaven and in the hearts of all of us who loved them. Our lives have been moulded by their unique love and a huge responsibility is now ours to continue their remarkable love story in our own lives… to work as they worked, to devote our lives to God as they devoted their lives to him and love as they loved.

We dedicate our lives to our precious parents

Family reflections

A precious husband,

father, grandfather and great-grandfather

Jack Newberry

10^th August 1921 – 22^nd August 2009

Read at the Thanksgiving Service for his wonderful life

Llanishen Evangelical Church, Cardiff

Thursday 3^rd September 2009

Jack Newberry – Our dad

Our father was a great man.

He was a real gentleman.

In the eyes of the world he was just a simple carpenter but to us he was a great man. It has been said that…in life we shall find many men that are great, and some that are good, but very few men that are both great and good. Our father was both.

He himself, of course, would never, ever have accepted such a description. He was a humble man; who lived simply and loved a lot. He didn’t have much, but he shared what he had with just about anyone who was in need. His sole aim in life was to be like Jesus. Today as we reflect on and celebrate his wonderful life we will see that he went some way to achieving his aim.

He was a great man because of the way he loved our mother. It is impossible to speak of our father without also speaking of our mother, because they were one. Together, they showed us what true love was like. They met in the dark days of World War Two in a dance hall in Cardiff, while he was home on leave from serving his country. God obviously brought them together and despite many difficulties and dangers their romance blossomed and as soon as they could, at the end of the war, they married. God blessed them with sixty three wonderful happy years, three children, eight grandchildren and five great grandchildren and each one adored this wonderful man.  Every day of their married life dad tried to love our mum ‘as Christ loved the church’ totally… selflessly… and with all of his heart. Their love story is unique and is an inspiration to us all. They lived for each other and many lives, over many years, have been touched for good by this special couple.

He was a great man because of the role model he was for us his children. He was caring, hardworking and devoted to us. Dad loved us all much more than he loved himself. We never once doubted his love. He told us whenever he saw us.

When times were tough he would carry off-cuts of wood  home from the building sites on the handlebars of his bike to help keep our home warm and his cry of…’Dad’s home’ would bring us running to greet him at the side door of our house. On a Friday he would have Wagon Wheels or some other kind of treat hidden somewhere on him and we would have such fun finding them. They were our treasures given from his heart of gold.

Our childhoods were idyllic. We played in the garden, the street and the local woods, building dams and catching fish and at the end of each day we came home to his strong but gentle arms. He helped us realize our dreams, forgave us our mistakes and loved us whatever. We never needed to earn his love and affection…he gave it freely and in generous amounts. On the edge of a £2 coin are the words ‘Standing on the shoulders of giants’, a phrase attributed to Sir Isaac Newton as he paid tribute to the work of those who had gone before him; as his children, if we are able to achieve anything in life its because we have been standing on the shoulders of a giant…our dad.

He was a great man because of his relationship with his grandchildren and great grandchildren. He had a wonderful way of developing a unique relationship with each one. He took an interest in everything each one did, whether it was hearing about things that happened in school or insisting we put the phone near so he could hear them practice the piano or the double bass and even after they had grown up, he listened attentively to tales of travelling or job interviews or promotions. Each one remembers him for the funny little signs of affection, whether it was a funny handshake or a ruffle of the hair. Each had special names for him such as ‘guv’ and ‘silly old fool’ and ‘Goozer’. He danced with them in their happy times, cried alongside them in their sad times, but was always the rock on which they could depend.

He was a great man because of the way he served his country. It was the part of his life he rarely shared with anybody. Dad was 18 years old on 10^th August 1939 and war was declared on 3rd September 1939 and he received his call up papers the following day. On 6^th June 1944 during the first hours of D-Day, our father was parachuted into Normandy near the site of Pegasus Bridge, as he served our country helping to liberate Europe. He went on to serve in Holland, Belgium, The Rhine and as the war ended, as he was looking forward to being with his beloved Phyll, he was posted to Palestine for a tour of duty. This lasted almost a year.

He returned to Normandy with his family in June 2004 to celebrate the 60^th Anniversary of the D-Day landings and was overwhelmed by the welcome and the gratitude he and all the other veterans received from the French people for helping to free their country from the tyranny of oppression. He was awarded a commemorative medal by the people of Normandy. He was proud of it, but kept it at home in a box and never showed it off. Although his poor health prevented him from attending the recent 65^th Anniversary Celebrations, he was represented by family members and was awarded a special bar to attach to the medal he received in 2004.

He was a great man because of his devotion to his church. Dad became a Christian in 1949. He had been invited to a big tent meeting, which was held where the Millennium Stadium is today. He had been invited by his friend Bill Dobbs and in the days that followed our mum took the same decision to follow Christ. Since that time, both their lives have been devoted to following the Lord and working as part of the local church. In the early days of his Christian walk, he would spend every Saturday working with the Cardiff Tract Band and he and his friends would visit valley towns and share with them through leaflets and open air services the Good News that Jesus can make a difference and he knew the difference for himself.

Soon after they moved to Llanishen in 1952 they helped to organize a mission in a big tent. It was on the site we are all sitting now. Following the mission a green corrugated hut was purchased and dad with a group of local Christians dismantled it in Bedlinog in the valleys and rebuilt it here in Llanishen. When the chapel opened, Dad was given the job of welcoming people on the door; a job he was ideally suited to with his warm smile and firm handshake. Amazingly it was a job he did until he was called home… more than 56 years of unbroken service. What an example to the generations that followed! During that time he must have welcomed countless thousands of people. He treated everyone the same… strangers, friends, young or old it made no difference…..each one received a handshake, a smile and a word of welcome and encouragement. When we all get to heaven you can be sure hovering near the entrance will be our dad, smiling, hand extended ready to welcome us in and tell us how good things are inside.

Dad and mum ran Boys and Girls Youth meetings in the evenings; teaching children and young people many different craft skills and sharing with them the truths of the Bible. They made their home available to the young people of the church and week after week on a Sunday evening their home would be filled with youngsters, chatting, singing and drinking endless cups of tea. One of the young men actually came to live with us – this selfless act of love showed the devotion dad and mum had to their church and their God.

When the current building was erected in 1956 dad did his bit to help and his carpentry skills were put to good use not only during the building of the church but throughout the 50 years that followed, doing odd jobs and repairs. He loved this place with a passion; whether it was Llanishen Gospel Hall, Emmaus Chapel or Llanishen Evangelical Church. He loved it because it was God’s house and his main aim in life was to serve the God he loved.  He never preached a sermon, never sought high office; never pushed himself forward but just simply understood the truth of Psalm 84 v 10…

I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than live a good life in the homes of the wicked.

He knew the jobs that God had entrusted to him and he did the best he could every day of his life.

He was a great man because we never heard anyone speak ill of our father. It’s common at a funeral to only remember the good things, to omit the things that could embarrass. In our father’s case, the most remarkable thing that can be said is that there is no bad.

It may or may not be true that the traffic is moving a little quicker around the north Cardiff area these days, yes…we all agree that he may have been a slow and careful driver, but the truth is dad never had an accident, never had a speeding ticket or even a parking ticket in over seventy years of driving.

Sometimes it took him over an hour to walk the short distance to buy his morning paper, because when he met someone he always stopped and talked with them and he was always interested in what they had to say. He was loved by everyone in the small community where he lived. Many of them are here with us this morning.

It is said….He is greatest whose strength carries up the most hearts by the attraction of his own.

Our father had a heart for people. He was greatly loved and will be greatly missed by us his family, his fellow believers here in Llanishen and across Cardiff and also by his many friends and neighbours. His passing will leave a huge hole in the lives of all who knew and loved him. For us, the family chain has been broken, but we have the wonderful hope that dad is the first link in a new chain in heaven and one by one as we join him that new chain will link up.

We don’t like to say good-bye to those we love. But if what the Bible says about heaven is true, and we believe it is, then the ultimate prayer, the ultimate answered prayer, is heaven.
It is right for us to weep, but there is no need for us to despair. Dad had pain here. He has no pain there. He struggled here. He has no struggles there. We might wonder why God took him home. Dad doesn’t! He understands. He is, at this very moment, at peace in the presence of God.

If we’d had the chance to listen carefully on 22^nd August, as we shed those tears of grief, we would have heard the still small voice of God saying to our father ‘Well done, good and faithful servant, enter into the joy of your Lord.’

……………………………………………………………………………………………..

He is gone.

We can shed tears that he is gone
or we can smile because he has lived.

We can close our eyes and pray that he’ll come back
or we can open our eyes and see all that he’s left for us to remember.

Our hearts can be empty because we can’t see him
or they can be full of the love we shared together.

We can turn our back on tomorrow and live for yesterday
or we can be happy for tomorrow because of our yesterdays.

We can remember him and only that he’s gone
or we can cherish his memory and let it live on.

We can cry and close our minds, be empty and turn our backs
or we can do what he would want:

Smile,

Open our eyes,

Love each other…

…and go on.

 ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Notice that appeared in The South Wales Echo

Friday 28th and Monday 31^st August 2009

John Newberry (Jack)

Suddenly on 22^nd August 2009 Jack, adored husband of Phyll, precious dad of John, Roger and Joy, dearest father in law of Chris, Jean and Doug, treasured grampy of Lisa, Helen, Kate, Jason, Gareth, Keri, Bethany, Simon, Tamara, Mark, Emily, Paul and Amy. Grampy Newbs to Jack, Noah, Reuben, Ben, Zac and baby Newberry to be. Loved also by Russ and Alex.

A Thanksgiving Service to celebrate his wonderful life will be held at Llanishen Evangelical Church (Emmaus Chapel), Heol Merlin, on Thursday 3^rd September at 11.00 a.m. Afterwards at Thornhill Cemetery. Family flowers only please but donations in lieu to Echoes of Service, c/o Mr. A. Berry, 13, Hurford Place, Cyncoed Cardiff.

No black ties please.

At home with His Lord