JANE TYLER Daughter to John and May Friend to all Loving Wife to Chris Jane came into this world in difficult circumstances and was soon to find happiness in the welcoming arms of May and John and their extended family. This relationship was in the form of a Barnardo’s adoption allowing Jane to benefit from a truly loving home life that was to provide the platform for many opportunities to open her horizons. It was during these early years that Jane developed the traits and personality that we all have come to love; a strong opinion arising from long heart to hearts with John covering all aspects of life; the kindness and love supplied in heaps from May that would blossom into a deep friendship; and let’s not forget the slobber of many a large pooch. She was an adored daughter that provided a strong and stable upbringing with love and happiness and these qualities manifested themselves into Jane and can be witnessed by us all here today (including Abby, the latest in her collection of pooches). All was not perfect for Jane in her early years as she suffered from 80% deafness and mild autism until the age of 4 when she was to receive a major operation to improve her hearing. This was thankfully a success but may have been the reason for Jane’s quiet voice during her early years albeit this was soon to be replaced by a wonderful, infectious and characteristic laugh. It is this characteristic laughter that will undoubtedly stay with us all in our memories forever. These early qualities would allow Jane to form friendships and bonds that would last her throughout her childhood and beyond. School had mixed emotions for Jane and her distinctive hair colour set her apart from her fellow pupils and this would again provide further qualities of strength, overcoming adversity and resolve all building the personality that we all loved; and as you know it was Jane’s hair that would be prominent in her recent battle with cancer. Jane had a fragmented education and changed school constantly but eventually a period of stability would be found in the beautiful village of Letty Green. It was here that Jane would form some of her most important and lasting friendships (or in Jane’s own words; “me mates”) and hobbies that would define her life. Two loves that are worthy of mention are both swimming and horses and both would be an integral part of her youth and into her latter years. Jane would merrily talk about her attrition of swimming lengths in her pool only broken by a quick puff on a cigarette between ends – this could be the first signs of her rebellious quality. A stronger passion was formed by Jane’s love of horses and she was able through her friendships to share her passion in her true love of her life “Lady” the grey stallion – Chris isn’t jealous. Jane had an entrepreneurial spirit and can be associated with dodgy shell suits and only left education with a single O level. This did not hold her back and she would attain for this at a later stage in her life. Despite this tricky part of her upbringing she would use her drive and ambition to succeed and achieve her aims perhaps within “a mans world”. For those that aren't aware Jane had the envious position to be bought up with the neighbours being a highly respected public house and this was a constant in her early teens and it was here that the party girl was borne and further mates joined her ever growing list of close friends. It was during this time that the four legged horses took back seat to the horse power and stories of her beloved VW beetle can be told in the bar later, by her mates. So where next - She was sent to Coventry!!! Jane studied at Coventry Polytechnic where again she met new friends soon to become mates. It was during this period that she would support her friends by offering a guiding hand, keeping them on the straight and narrow, setting another quality of always being there to either laugh or cry. Other friends during this period would become soul mates that would always be there for her and as she would be for them. This part of her life would become a success with the achievement of a BA with second class honours in business studies, setting the path for her future. However, Jane was not ready to enter the commercial world and declined favourable opportunities in business and headed off for a venture around Europe with mates and nights of dodgy sleeping rough in areas, least of all, Athens airport. This love of travelling became a source of great pleasure to Jane and would be followed by backpacking Australia, travelling China, Japan and the Maldives to name but a few. It was during these adventures that Jane’s most resounding quality would be formed in her being the party animal that would always be the centre and end of any gathering. When would Jane say let’s have an early night, not very often we would all agree. Alas, good times have to come to an end and Jane had to go out into the business world and again wherever she frequented herself she would always make a positive impact both professionally and personally. Jane’s constant drive for improvement within her chosen field would culminate with further academic achievements when she was admitted to both Membership and Fellowship of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants. Working for Serco and living in Cheltenham with her first husband, Jane’s love of the Cotswold life was formed as it allowed Jane to focus on her loves for walking, restaurants, pubs and of course horse riding. It was here that Jane gained the respect of a regular in her local pub – Zara Phillips thanks to her pleasant attitude and beautiful well behaved Labradors. However, we don’t believe that Gloucestershire was ready for the Cointreau and Baileys parties that were Jane’s favourite tipple at the time. Due to unforeseen circumstances Jane decided to move back to Hertfordshire and ended up in the infamous ” Dell” where she became a beloved member of the unique community and once again became great mates with everybody. No. 13 - home to the New Years Eve party; the sound of laughter; the late nights putting the world to rights; the home of the lady with a big heart and great voice at the Christmas carol concerts. Although her list of achievements were long I know that Jane’s greatest success in business was her association with Elior UK where I had the privilege to meet Jane and become one of those mates that she holds so dear. I it is fair to say a lot of the commercial success of the contracts was down to Jane and her ability to work the numbers so well. The rest of us made it up as we went along but not Jane. I am sure a lot of you will agree that we have memories of Jane that recount her always being there for her friends, no matter what was going in in her life. Jane was a huge support to me during times of trouble and stress and it is something I will never forget and be forever thankful for. It was during this time that Chris would also enter Jane’s life and in the early stages the 3 of us were inseparable. We did some great work and business but also had the most amazing time and memories to cherish. Ones I will never forget. But little did I know, at the time, of the deep and loving relationship what was developing. Chris, the love of Jane’s life, her dream come true and her rock; back then during the fun, laughter, and passion and even more so through her illness. She loves him beyond everything. As much as this was a happy time it was soon to become a sad and difficult period when life became overwhelming and Jane sought support from the professionals at the Priory, The people she met who not only helped her through this time but to whom many owe much of their recovery to Jane’s positive outlook and qualities. Unbeknown to Jane, the tumour grew slowly inside her and may have contributed to the mental and physical challenges she faced during this period. Jane at this point realised there was something else not quite right and sought medical advice. As we all know, this was the start of nearly four years battling cancer against all odds with an original prognosis of 6 months. Despite it all, Jane maintained her sense of humour and positive outlook, dealing with all the worst case scenarios and implications; but never lost her dignity. It was so important to Jane to always want to please everyone and maintain her public face and qualities. It was hard for her to have permission to share her suffering and to many you would never know she was ill. To know Jane’s story is to be confronted with the random cruelty of life. This adversity drove Jane and she held the successful Bum Ball and raised £13.5k for her chosen charities and also created another mate in the name of Mathew Wright. Throughout all the adversity Jane and Chris and Abbie led a normal and active life - walks, holidays, fishing, drinking, dinners, parties and a regular viewing of the “uplifting” Eastenders! During the more difficult period of her illness Jane and Chris made the decision to leave the Dell to the move into the countryside, fittingly to “the Stables” were she would find great peace and tranquillity .... and her Jacuzzi! A poignant part in Jane’s illness was the loss of Linda Bellingham from the same disease. This had a profound impact on Jane’s decision making and it was near this point that Jane made the difficult decision to discontinue treatment and have the quality of life she wanted. It was during this period that Jane and Chris were able to seal their love for each other by getting married at the fabulous Coltsfoot Country Retreat where we will later celebrate Jane’s life. It was also during this period that Jane would understand the significance of Isobel Hospice and the great support it provided during the final stages of her life. So, a life full of animals, love, mates, wine and laughter – let’s finish with Jane’s own words she wrote whilst summarising her own story: “So life is good; because of my wonderful friends, family and my partner Chris, who has been amazing. I enjoy a walk with my gorgeous but silly spaniel, have been back on a horse, been swimming again, enjoy a glass or two of wine with my mates and just appreciate life”