Lockdown has caused many people to feel extremely upset from not being able to be with their loved ones when suffering poor health and, worse, not being able to attend the funeral of loved ones.
We were not successful when applying for an exception for the family to attend our sister’s funeral in Palmerston North.
Our sister Julie had a brilliant sense of humour.
She always saw the funny side of everything.
Julie had a love for music and had a beautiful singing voice.
She also loved her marching days and she played netball with my twin sister Dawn and I, for Otahuhu College Old Girls, before moving to live in Howick.
Julie’s love for bichon doggies inspired her to open her own “Dog Grooming at Tiffany’s” from her home in Golflands.
Julie was a keen gardener and during her retirement she joined the Howick Mah-Jong Club.
Fellow Club Member Rosemary told me Julie was always cheerful, full of enthusiasm and had a lovely sense of humour.
Another lady, Francis, told me she remembered Julie as a very friendly, cheerful and a willing member of the Mah-Jong club that met in the Croquet Clubrooms in Millhouse Drive.
Four years ago, Julie and husband Ian retired in Papamoa for two years before moving to Levin to be closer to family in Wellington.
Over the years, Julie was able to triumphantly fight her many health challenges. She always knew there was a way to get over everything.
But earlier this year she decided herself, that she had had enough.
Julie died peacefully, with her husband Ian at her side, in Palmerston North Hospital on Friday August 14.
Val Lott
Howick
