Having known this moment would come for some time now; and having imagined in my mind what I would say over and over again, I struggle to find the right words. My sincere apologies for not delivering this tribute myself, but I know being back at All Saints Church where we were married only nine and a half years ago would be too much, even for me to deliver. The reality of what has happened has not sunk in; I feel numb, it feels like a bad dream that I hope I will wake up from; Zoë you should still be here... Anyway, enough with the doom and gloom, this is a thanksgiving of Zoë’s life, it should be a happy moment, one to reflect upon all the good things Zoë stood for, of which there were so many. I first met Zoë was in my 2nd year at university, Zoë was in her final year (the standing joke was that I was her toy boy!!), where we lived in Southsea, Portsmouth. I remember very clearly the first time we met, the boys of the house were sat in the basement lounge waiting for the girls to turn up for our first house meeting of the year, and of course the girls kept us on our toes and arrived late. This was with the exception of Zoë, who has always had impeccable time keeping. We simply exchanged the formal hellos at this meeting. The first time we really got to know each other was during a game of Twister (strangely enough this is Ellen’s favourite game, Carys however has not yet quite grasped the concepts of the game! It is a game that is so much more difficult now the joints are not so supple!!) – Somehow we held a deep conversation in some particularly uncomfortable positions, and became boyfriend and girlfriend shortly afterwards. After finishing university Zoë worked for Surrey University as Admissions Secretary in the School of Materials Engineering, but very quickly took on the additional roles that she was became so well known for. The most notable being the title of ‘Events Coordinator’. The schools events had been some what poor in previous years, but with Zoë’s flare for organising parties all that quickly changed. The summer BBQ of 1999 stands out. On the day of the end of term engineering school BBQ, it was absolutely bucketing it down. Zoe obviously had the foresight to arrange for a marquee to be erected just in case the weather was bad, even though it had been wall to wall sunshine for weeks. However the rain was so heavy that grass began lifting up from the soil beneath, it was like walking on a spongy magic carpet, the marquee leaked, and the decision was made to cancel. Zoë, however, had other plans, she began making drainage holes in the grass to divert the water away, got out a roll of gaffer tape from her bag (I believe we have Peter to thank for this trait!), taped up the marquee, and the BBQ continued, being a total success against all the odds. This speciality of Zoe’s continued on, most notably in the girls’ birthday parties held in our back garden. I would say, ‘why not book a hall, or a soft play centre, it’s too risky if it rains, the kids will tromp mud through our freshly cleaned flooring’ but no, Zoë was having none of this, she was absolutely adamant that a garden party would go ahead regardless of the weather; and so it did, year on year. It was her attention to detail, creativity, and sheer determination to make the best party that she could for her girls that will be remembered by all that attended. She gained the title; ‘hostess with the mostess’, this being no small feat – no one could touch the parties that she put on. Zoë was also extremely gifted with her arts and crafts. She attended a furniture restoration class, and within weeks of starting was purchasing old chairs off e-bay that looked like they should be in the rubbish dump, and transformed them into masterpieces. Zoë was one of life's givers – her generosity was unbounded. Zoë did not have the desire to become a world beater, this did not matter at all to her, she was instead totally dedicated to raising her children. Nothing was too much for them, and even whilst she was extremely ill undergoing treatment, she would always put the children first. On Monday 12th November 2012, five days before passing away, Zoë managed to attend Ellen’s first Junior school parent evening. She had so little energy that I had to help her walk to and from the car. The fact she made it is a true testament to the dedication Zoë showed for her children, it is virtually unbelievable. Zoë rest in peace; God bless; you will not be forgotten. You will live on in the children, our beautiful little girls, they are an absolute tribute to you. For me, the task has been set, the goals defined, and you know that I will fulfil the promises I made in ensuring they are raised in the way you would have wanted – I will even try my hand at the parties!! Good bye Zoe, for now anyway; see you in the next life whenever and wherever it may be, lots of love, Kenton.