Phyllis May Rowlett was a remarkable woman.
She was born on 13th September 1927 and she lived along with her brother Ron and sister Sylvia in the small town of Wisbech in Cambridgeshire, England.
She married her husband Benjamin in 1945, straight after the end of World War II, in which Benjamin had been a driver for the army.
In 1947 came their first daughter, Susan Patricia followed by their second daughter Carol Anne in 1949. In these early years of their marriage, Phyllis not only was a wife and mother but she also worked as a potato picker on the nearby farms to help make ends meet.
Phyllis lived for her family, she did everything in her power to provide a warm and loving home for her husband and daughters.
In time, her babies began to have babies of their own.
Julie Anne was the first, born to Carol Anne and her husband Robert in 1972. Then came along Michelle, born to Susan Patricia and her husband William in 1975 and finally Mandy Jane, a second daughter for Carol Anne and Robert in 1976.
With three granddaughters to dote on, Phyllis was in her element and they all adored her in return.
These were happy times for everyone but unfortunately it wasn't to last.
In the late eighties, Phyllis began to notice that she was becoming breathless and very easily tired, for someone so full of life and energetic, it was obviously of some concern, so she went to her doctor. He confirmed the worst, she would need open heart surgery to replace a faulty valve. Her family were devasted.
This was to be the first of several heart surgeries over the next few years.
Each one was successful and although she returned home to her loving family, she never truly regained the zest for life she'd had before them.
In 1997, Phyllis became a great-grandmother, her granddaughter Mandy Jane gave birth to a son, Jack.
Jack brought a renewed sense of life to Phyllis, but once again, medical problems were on the horizon.
In the 2002, Phyllis was diagnosed as diabetic, she also suffered from recurring kidney problems. In 2003, she was diagnosed with a form of breast cancer. Her heart couldn't take the process of radiotherapy or anymore surgeries, so she declined treatment and decided to live out what was left of her life. Throughout all this, she soldiered on.
Where once she was the one who took care of her family, it was now the time of her family to take care of her. It wasn't easy for her to let them do this, she was a proud woman, but even she realised that she needed help.
In July of 2004, Phyllis became really ill and she was admitted to The Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Kings Lynn, Norfolk, England. She underwent various tests, one after another. Every day her husband, daughters, son-in-laws and grandchildren visited her and everyday they lost a small piece of her.
On 20th August 2004, Phyllis May Rowlett passed away. She was surrounded by her family she loved.
Not one day goes past that she is not thought of, not one day is she not felt.
She was a remarkable woman who made an impact on every single life she touched.
She Will Always Be Remembered.
Light a Candle
Light a candle for those we mourn.
Into a new life they will be born.
Do not look for them at the gravesite.
They are somewhere else radiating their beautiful light.
They have gone to a new world where there is no darkness, no pain.
Their light and essence will always remain.
Light a candle for those who have left this mortal place.
They are free to travel through time and space.
When we think of them, they are near.
When we sit in a beautiful garden. Their voices we hear.
When we listen to a divine symphony,
We close our eyes, their faces we see.
Light a candle for they have not really gone.
With each flickering flame, in your hearts they will always belong. | 
