Eulogy
In which we say goodbye.
I will be honest I’ve rewritten this week’s newsletter about four times, not quite sure how I wanted to write about the last week in the UK, or how much I wanted to share.
As some of you will know, one of the reasons for our recent trip was for my mother’s funeral. It was an emotional trip, with a roller coaster of emotions, for while her funeral was, inevitably, a sad event, it was also a time to remember and celebrate her life. It was also a time for reunions with family and old friends, some of whom we hadn’t seen for decades. Above all, it was a time to share stories.
As I write this a day after arriving back in Texas, sitting in my home office reflecting on the last ten days, I’ve decided that the best way to cap off a week of stories celebrating the 94 years that my mother experienced on this earthly plane, is to share the eulogy that I delivered at her service.
Mary (“May”) Porter (nee Noble) 1929-2023
My mother is Irish.
That was the closing statement in a school essay about my parents I wrote when I was seven years old. That essay is the only piece of my schoolwork that my parents kept hold of. All because of that last line.
For the previous three pages had been full of detail about my father’s job, his time in the army, and what part of the city his family hailed from. As for my thoughts on my mother, that wasn’t just the concluding statement, “My mother is Irish” was the only statement.
Just four words. - My mother is Irish.
There wasn’t really anything else to add. To my seven-year-old mind that simple phrase said everything. It told of the family heritage, it told of the great times when my mother and her four sisters got together, it told of food, fun, and stories.
Perhaps on reflection, it’s those three words that best encapsulated May Porter.
She was a good cook, but an extraordinary baker who never followed a recipe in her life. Her creations were always done through a mix of experience, touch, and smell. Her Victoria sponge and Coffee cakes became famous when Gill and I were at University. Our fellow students in the halls of residence would encourage me to go home for weekend visits knowing that I’d return with several freshly baked cakes.
That generosity of spirit ran to more than baked goods, as she was always interested in helping others where she could
As one of my oldest friends put it in a recent note to me “She was always the perfect ‘friend’s Mum to me. Always a smile, always helpful, caring, generous with her time. Almost a second Mum to those that knew her.”
Along with the giving and interest in others, there was a streak of cheeky fun that wound its way through most things May did. She was never a rule follower and her sense of fun helped her through many a tough time. She was a fighter too. Surviving through over 50 years of heart problems and related health issues, often with quiet stoicism, at other times with a cheeky grin.
And of course the stories, she and her sisters had a ton of them. I will be honest Mum and I didn’t have a lot in common, no real shared interests, except perhaps a fondness for discovering her family heritage. Those we shared, and on our last visit she was once again living out those stories in her mind, and she was home again.
In the last few weeks of her life, she longed to be reunited with her husband of sixty-five years, Derek, and I trust that their shared faith means that they are now back together and she has the peace she was looking for at the end.
To quote one of her favorite traditional Irish blessing
“May the raindrops fall lightly on your brow, may the soft winds freshen your spirit, may the sunshine brighten your heart, may the burdens of the day rest lightly upon you, and may your God enfold you in the mantle of their love.”
Other Stuff
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Brabazon Bits
As well as family-related activities, we also managed to spend a significant portion of our recent trip on book-related activities and meetings.
This included a return trip to the excellent Aerospace Bristol museum and the Brabazon housing project at Filton. While at the museum I was delighted to discover that a new large-scale model of the Brabazon now hangs from the roof just above the relevant display area. It makes for a very impressive sight.
A few days later I was lucky enough to have an excellent meeting at Airbus Filton with folks from the Heritage team about the Brabazon book project. Came away with some great leads and contacts to follow up.
Pages and Screens
Book Read in 2023 - “Star Trek: Shell Game” by Melissa Crandall
When an abandoned deserted space station drifts into Federation territory the crew of the Enterprise sets out to investigate.
This basic premise sets up an enjoyable ‘haunted house’ style mystery that (despite the cover) places Dr. McCoy front and center, giving us some insights into him as both man and healer.
While this is set in the era of the Trek movies, it would have worked well as an Original Series episode.
Podcast Procrastinations
A few weeks ago I was honored to be asked to contribute to a virtual panel on James Bond Themes for this year’s DragonCon. The resulting chat is now available on YouTube -
The latest episode of the Rogue Agents show on The On Her Majesty’s Secret Podcast network is now online. Join us for our third edition of The Trailers of Bond, in which we discuss the coming attractions for Diamonds Are Forever, Live & Let Die, and The Man with the Golden Gun check it out right HERE !
Before They Were Beatles Updates
The Before They Were Beatles podcast - A quick reminder that Episode 25 of The Before They Were Beatles podcast is now live and available on your podcast platform of choice.
Entitled “Beginnings and Endings” it covers the events of September through to December 1962 as we complete our journey as The Beatles return to the recording studio, make their TV debut, and say goodbye to Hamburg.
The August issue of the Before They Were Beatles newsletter is now online in which we take a look at John Lennon's tumultuous schooldays.
This month the newsletter's full contents are available FREE to all subscribers. So if you haven't checked out this monthly look at a slice of early Beatles history, this is the ideal opportunity.
Weekly Web Round-Up
Batman On The Cover - The journey through Batman’s comics publishing history continues this week with comics cover dated May 1968 published in Germany, Italy, Lebanon, Mexico, Norway, and Sweden.
The only one that wasn’t a straight reprint of a US cover was this one-shot from Mexico, Batman: Baticomic, which looks like an attempt to use the Dynamic Duo to sell a compilation of standard detective stories.
Where on the Web is Alan?
You can now find links to all the places you can find me online, websites, newsletters, social media, and more in a single LINKS page on my personal website.
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See you next time
Alan J. Porter
Beautiful eulogy. I sincerely admire your bravery in opening up, and sharing such vulnerable emotions. All the best to you during this time.