In March 2013 Catherine Jones had come back to England, after a week in America with Maureen following Lou’s death. Considering that Mo was also in the middle of treatment for ovarian cancer she was coping remarkably well and was being supported very lovingly by her church and community. Kathleen Hogan had also been to stay for a week.
Originally Maureen was talking about holding a celebration of Lou’s life in America and paying for all the relatives to fly over. Catherine talked to her in some detail about this as she felt on several fronts this was not a good idea. Firstly it would be very costly even though she said she would pay for everyone, secondly people will not be able to get the time off work and thirdly it will be a logistical nightmare as where they live is miles away from anywhere and requires cars to get anywhere.
She proposed instead that Mo came over the England in July and paid for a venue in Herefordshire for the weekend so the whole family could get together and celebrate Lou’s life. As part of the weekend, we would go on a memorial bike ride and have an evening where we share memories. We booked a catering company to provide a meal on the first night, as there were so many people attending.
All credit to Catherine for organising a first class weekend, and thank you Mo for making it possible.