Dorothy, Sylvia and Irene Martin, born 17 months apart from one another and always together, grew up, married and followed their husbands wherever life took them. In my mother's case this was North Germany as an RAF officer's wife, where pretty young Irene, my godmother, came in Christmas 1953 and was much in demand socially by all the young officers!
Irene resisted these temptations and travelled the furthest of them all, to the USA, where she married Dean B McCoy and lived happily ever after.
I rememember that glamorous photo of them on their wedding day on the wall of my grandparents' house, and I remember finally meeting them when I was 9 when they came over with their impossibly blonde daughters - both so cute - particularly Ellen at only two and lisping.
I am so glad to read from those cute cousins that Dean was grateful and gave thanks to God for his wonderful life; I always felt an air of contentment from him and he was certainly delighted with his wife and children.
It was a great privilege to be able to spend two wonderful 6-week vacations with the McCoys (20 years apart, in 1979 and 1999) and to bring our own children with us on the second occasion. We were made wonderfully welcome by Irene and Dean and were so lucky to spend time with them in that sublime corner of the USA of which Dean was so rightly proud.
One last thing - I am thrilled to have been teaching for the past year and have thought of you both from time to time. I am very proud to have joined your noble profession - another generation of teachers in the family.
Thanks be to God for Dean's life, a well-lived life; and thanks be to God for the privilege of having known him and for being members, with him, of one family.
Christine##imported-begin##Christine, niece##imported-end##
