SUSAN'S FAREWELL TO HER DAD, COLIN, ARTHUR PENN-BERKELEY

COLIN ARTHUR PENN-BERKELEY
23rd September 1934 – 13th September 2007

BYE-BYE. BYE-BYE. GOOD NIGHT. GOD BLESS.

“Good Night. God Bless”, each night I’d wish,
Gave you a Cuddle and a Kiss.
“You’re lovely, you are”, you’d smile and say,
“Bye-bye. Bye-bye”, as down you lay.

 As all good things must come to an end,
We gather together, your family and friends.
To dwell not on the sad times, when we cried,
But, to remember instead how hard you tried.

 Handsome and always smartly dressed,
Everything you did, you tried your best.
With twinkling eyes and a wonderful smile,
You looked like Elvis for quite a while!

 You loved to walk, clever with your hands,
Cooking wonderful curries and a crossword fan.
Courageous, determined and very proud,
With a sense of humour and laughter loud.

 Friends you valued and kept most true,
Enjoyed their company and solitude too.
Advice and guidance that we sought,
Your generous love and huge support.

 You played the harmonica and accordion too,
And we would listen, in awe of you.
You loved your music and the dance floor,
How I wish we could dance once more.

 With heartfelt sorrow and the tears we cry,
We now say to you, “Bye-bye. Bye-bye.”
Things, they say, happen for the best,
Bye-bye. Bye-bye. Goodnight. God Bless.

 SEP-B
20 th September 2007

* * * *

REMEMBERING YOU!

Your body clock doesn’t correspond with mine,
Every night you wake up time after time.

You have beautiful twinkles that glint in your eyes,
And a smile that is always a welcome surprise.

You say very little, but then when you do,
With tremendous joy, I kiss 'n cuddle you.

You stumble and fall, and graze here and there,
Crawl up the furniture without a care.

You roll off the settee, onto the floor,
Roll over and over and back once more.

You play with everything as if they are toys,
Such a mischievous nature, like most boys!

You seldom sit down when it’s time to eat,
As off you go and so quick on your feet.

You love to eat whilst you’re on the go,
Bits you dislike, on the floor you’ll throw.

You love so to bathe and splashing about,
Then so upset when it’s time to come out.

You struggle to dress, cleaning your teeth, a chore,
Missing the sink and spitting out on the floor.

You dislike the toilet and create such a mess,
But, you don’t understand and do try your best.

You, with no shoes on, escape once again,
And waddle through the puddles, in the rain.

You don’t like the seat belt, will kick and shout,
Whenever, it’s time for us to go out.

You wonder off, letting go of my hand,
So frightened and lost, you quietly stand.

You love to hear music and to dance too,
As we laugh, sing and dance, I steady you.

Through your illness you were so very brave,
I say goodbye as I stand by your grave.

I’m lost without you, I weep and I cry,
Alzheimer’s is such a cruel way to die.

Looking back, remembering the times we had,
How I miss you, MY DARLING DAD.

SEP-B

8th March 2008
In Memory of Colin Arthur Penn-Berkeley

23rd September 1934 – 13th September 2007