A Tribute To Nora

 Friends of Rebels Retreat will be very sad to hear of the passing of Nora, Preacher's mother. We first met Nora when she came to our club after the death of her husband Bob. She was a great personality, she had to be with a son like Preacher, and she proved to be a very loyal and supportive friend of the 'cowboy club,' with a great sense of humour. I, for one, will never forget her dressed in a Christmas bikini over her clothes at one Christmas Party, or standing on a chair at the bar in order to get served at one of the Roundups!

 I can see her now, dancing 'Blue Rose Is' with the aid of Anne and Peter, or taking part in her party piece 'The Chrystal Chandeliers.' Anne used to say that Nora danced like a supermarket trolley when she did this dance, and she had everybody in stitches. It would not have been the same if she'd learnt to do it properly.

 We last saw Nora at the club early on in the year, but she hadn't been well for a bit and she eventually left us for good on March 26th.

 Her funeral took place at Hollinwood Cemetery in Oldham on Friday 4th April at 2.00pm. It wasn't a sad occasion, Preacher was determined that it should be a celebration of Nora's life, and so it was. Jenny, Marlene, Dakota, Raindancer, Rusty and I were there, with the club's four flags – Mexican, Confederate, Stars and Stripes and Union Jack – and suitably attired, Marlene and Rusty as Mexicans and the rest of us in Western dress.

 The coffin was carried in to 'The Chrystal Chandeliers' – what else? – while the club members formed a guard of honour, flags aloft.

 The service was a humanist one, for Nora wasn't particularly religious, and consisted of a tribute to Nora, and suitable readings and music. The person who lead the service was an elegant grey-haired lady with a mellifluous voice, and the service was one suited to those of any faith, or no faith at all.

 At the end the lady nodded to Rusty to start proceeding up the aisle with the Mexican flag to the sound of the Mexican Trilogy. As he set off, with the rest of the club members following, the music started and we were horrified to hear:-

  'Her lips and her dress
 They're both ruby red...'

As Rusty was trying to work out at what moment one lowered the flag in 'Blue Rose Is' Preacher took charge of the situation, the correct music was substituted and he took hold of the Mexican flag and he and Rusty performed the Mexican Trilogy, with the rest of us lowering the other flags at a suitable moment.

 We're sure that Nora would have loved the service, and the elegant lady with the lovely voice, and we were glad that all Nora's favourite music was heard during the ceremony – even if some of it unexpectedly!

 We then went off to a buffet in her honour. It was here that Preacher managed to explain to the other guests why 'The Chrystal Chandeliers' had been played. At the buffet we got to meet the rest of Nora and Preacher's family. We'd heard such a lot about them, Nora was very proud of her family, that it was really nice to put faces to names.

 During the Saturday evening there was yet another buffet put on by Mandy for those who couldn't be at the funeral, and we did a really muddled 'Chrystal Chandeliers' during the evening in Nora's memory. Instead of flowers donations were requested for the County Air Ambulance fund, and I believe that the total is now over £1,000. (This will go added to the money raised at the Charity Weekend for the County Air Ambulance at the beginning of September.)

 And so we say, 'Farewell Nora. We'll never forget you. Thank you for being our friend.'