Brian Midgley, Jeans brother...

Good Morning

Firstly thank for being here or virtually to say goodbye to my little sister. 


Most of you will have known Jean in her adult years either as a friend, auntie, a competent medical practitioner or perhaps jointly running her nursing home in days gone by. Maybe more recently as granny to Victor and Tabitha or as ever the loving and supportive mother to Joanne.


As her brother I naturally have the advantage of knowing her from her birth on Saturday June 9th 1934 at our family home Elmwood just outside the small Yorkshire town of Guiseley.



My first memory of Jean is of Nurse Ross and Dr Rankin attending Mum on that June day. When Dr Rankin called a couple of days later I am told I suggested he take Jean back as she was so noisy!  I was only two and three quarters!


As a small infant Jean could crawl for England. Put  her down anywhere and she was off, carpet, lawn, sandy beach at Prestatyn nothing delayed her, she was off and Daddy spent his time chasing and recovering his blue eyed laughing little girl.


Jean became a Brownie aged 5 and then a keen Guide and then a Ranger confirming her ongoing Christian faith and early evidence of her caring nature I like to think.


We both went to Prince Henry`s Grammar School where Jean got her School Certificate before following her hearts desire of being a Nurse - something she had decided upon aged just nine.


She trained at The Royal Infirmary in Bradford gaining her SRN and then her SRM before becoming Accident and Emergency Sister at BRI and then changing tack "Going on the District" on the opposite side of Bradford to our home in Guiseley. She was of course much loved by her patients. 


After a minor road accident near Halifax she decided to return to Hospital work in Northampton becoming Deputy Matron at their Training Hospital where she met Sonny Syani whom she married in August 1972 and with whom she had two lovely children Richard and Joanne. They fulfilled her life`s dream - to be a mother, have a nice home and a family to love and look after.


Sadly after the marriage failed Jean moved back to Yorkshire and changed her surname to Craven - her paternal grandma`s family name


It was in Yorkshire on a winters day in December 1995 she lost her precious son Richard  whilst he was visiting her before Christmas, tragically falling to his death on the moors. 


Eventually as the promise of more family and babies were on the cards, Jean returned to the south to be near to Jo and her husband Dan. 


Their two young children Victor and Tabitha gave Jean great joy and a happy retirement  all before the concentration lapsed and the dementia took over.



I do want you to know that I am so proud to call Jean my very best Sister!


And so I come to the end of the saddest story I have ever told, We have to say goodbye to my dearest little sister. She is now with her son, Mummy and her beloved Daddy. 
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Siblings are part of you and they always will be.


Goodbye my little sister. May the Good Lord Bless you and keep you till we meet again


Rest in Peace darling girl.