While the passing away of anybody is very sad, it is a comfort to me remembering that our mother, Elsie, was a person who lived a full and happy life for 99 years and 8 months.

Mum was born in Manchester and she would tell us many stories about the famous Jews who lived there, many of whom were very good friends of hers, about a life in which she would play tennis in the Water Park Club and about how they actually survived in those days. One of her favorite stories was how her father had decided against investing money with Israel Sieff in a dangerous new venture called Marks and Spencer, preferring to back a silent cinema, just before talkies arrived.

Her early life is a real Manchester Jewish story as the family was involved in the rag trade and I mean real rags. It is the story of so many families who went through good and also very difficult days. She married my Dad, George, and moved to Dublin in 1933 where she lived a life dedicated to bringing up her family of three sons. She was the matriarch of the family, a lady who sold her diamond engagement ring so that my brother Martin could go through university and pay to be an articled clerk. In many ways it was not an easy life but she was always the strong one in the difficult times. She was on the Youth Aliyah committee in Dublin and also on the first women’s committee of Terenure shul. Mum always loved to know what was going on, and one of my memories of those times was of her sitting in bed every Saturday with the Jewish Chronicle, discussing the births, deaths and marriages on the phone with her beloved sister Mattie who was also in bed on the other end.

Mum and Dad moved to Israel in 1978 and they had a full and wonderful life together but unfortunately after only a couple of years Dad passed away. Mum carried on to make the most of her life, being involved in many activities in Netanya and making a host of friends. Her enthusiasm was legendary amongst the English speaking population. She was involved with helping battered wives and I believe the first meeting of Willing Hands was held in her home. After she had her heart attack 15 years ago, a new and important friend came into her life – Lily from the Philippines who was so close to her. We would like to thank Rose, who took over from Lily, for all the loving care that she gave to our Mum in the last few months and also the staff of Beth Protea who looked after her so well.

We will all remember Elsie at the many family simchas when we were together, for the Friday nights with Yetta and her favorite Ivan with whom she would discuss for hours the latest news in the tennis world. She always took a big part in the lives of her children, their wives – the Sandras and Rena, and also Carol-Ann and Joy who were like daughters to her. Mum loved her grandchildren and her great-grandchildren. She was immensely proud of all of them and would drop anything to spend time with them. I remember one time when she first noticed Dori talking on a mobile phone. She asked him what he was doing and when she realised it was a phone she told him that she would like one of those when she was gone so she could keep in touch from heaven.

Mum had a great group of bridge friends; she was still playing four or five times a week until a few years ago. We remember her 90^th birthday when it seemed she invited half of Netanya.

She was a lady who always saw the bright side of life, who always had time for a laugh and who will always have a place in our hearts.

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