Nuala said her welcome and opening words, followed by a reading.

A woman is a success, who has lived well,
Laughed often and loved much
Who has gained the respect of intelligent men and women
And the love of children;
Who has filled her niche and accomplished her tasks;
Who leaves the world better than she found it.
Who has never lacked appreciation of Earth’s beauty
Or failed to express it;
Who looked for the best in others and gave the very best she had.

Nuala said the tribute words:
 It is now my privilege to share some words with you about Annemarie and her life, with the help of her family and some of their tribute words. I know you will agree it is impossible to do true justice to someone in such a space of time, but I promised that I would do my best. She was born in Dorchester in Boston, Massachusetts on 22 August 1956 to Marguerite and William Newcomb and was the youngest with four brothers Bill, Stephen, Robert and Philip and sister Elaine, who she was very close to. The loss of sister Elaine was devastating to Annemarie and she was never forgotten. Annemarie always reminded her own children how she grew up with four older brothers, and could handle anything. She was described to me as a wild soul, growing up in the seventies and enjoying life, including taking trips down to Cape Cod with her girlfriends Joan, Joanne, Cheryl (Crunch) and Gail. If she wasn’t down the cape, you would find her at Amvets with friends having a pizza and a drink or two at the bar. Daughter Joanne told me this is where her friends and family in America will hold a celebration of her life today arranged by Joanne and Margo.
After school Annemarie held numerous jobs and the one she’s best known for is working for the Randolph Chrysler dealership alongside her best friend Joanne and for a short while Cathleen. Living in the UK she had a few jobs, including at Debenhams in Eastbourne and the time she was awarded Employee of the Year. She had also worked as a purchaser for HMD sealers pumps in Hampden Park for around ten years, until she took voluntary redundancy and retired from work at 60yrs. Annemarie was someone who worked to live not live to work.

Going back a bit on a cruise with her girlfriends, she had met Klaus, the tall German, who had walked up to her and confidently asked her to dance. Before long Annemarie had packed up her bags and a picture and moved to Germany. Whilst the marriage did not survive, it did bless her with her three children Patrick, her bundle of joy in 1986, and three years later her girls, twins Joanne and Jackie. I was told girls in the family are a rarity and amongst all of her nieces and nephews there is only one female, as well as Annemarie always proud to be the only one to have twins! And then little did she know that she would meet Anthony in a bar in Hamburg in May 1993, who was there with his brother Nick. A friendship developed and of course led to their love and a new beginning and their marriage in Massachusetts 10 December 1995. They stood through everything together, including from deportation to health obstacles. Daughter Joanne told me that she has never known a man look at his wife the way Anthony looked at her mum or how her mum looked at him. They loved each other completely.

 The move back to the States involved them going through quite a grilling by the government to verify their status as a couple. Getting her movie wrong Anthony wasn’t the right way to help, as if Shadowlands would be her favourite over Shirley Valentine!
But in 1999 they decided to move to England and, given Annemarie wanted to be by the sea, the sunshine coastal town of Eastbourne became their new home. And in 2005 they moved into Sovereign Harbour. As is evident here today, Annemarie was much loved not just by her family, including Letticia and Malte, but by many friends too. I mustn’t forget her dream Shepherd dog, Poppy, who Annemarie is to be laid to rest with. As well as all the other animals the family had, including Lomu, Nelly, Saffy, Jonah, budgies, rabbit, cockatiel and four chickens.

What else did Annemarie enjoy doing? As mentioned, Annemarie fell in love with cruise ships and had a lifelong love of cruising with the Royal Caribbean. Her love sealed with a view over the ocean, a bar and a beautiful ship. With this love, she and Anthony became members of the Diamond Lounge and she always enjoyed the free drinks on their cruises, but never as keen on the more pompous part of the proceedings, well she was never one for standing on protocol, was she? Her family have many other wonderful memories and too many to capture in this short time today. Annemarie loved to watch rugby, including going to Twickenham a few times and those wonderful moments with Patrick playing and his friends, including tours to Devon and Cornwall. And the boat races too at the rugby clubs. Annemarie and Anthony loved cooking together and when it came to watching TV, I think he played a part in weaning her off Eastenders. When I asked about reading, Patrick said she liked John Steinbeck. Annemarie was just simply happy being with Anthony, spending time with family and friends, oh and for spending a lot of time on her iPad!

So how else can we describe Annemarie? Well apart from being Queen of the sun and Mary Queen of Scotch and enjoying a Brandy Alexander here and there? She always let you know how much she enjoyed a good drink. Whether attending occasions, out or visiting with family and friends, she’d always say make sure you use your elbows to ring the door as your hands should be holding the drinks. And invariably, Annemarie was the first one in and the last one out. Her father had also said to her once that she had more balls than all her brothers together. Anthony and Patrick told me that she will be best remembered for always being there when needed and for being larger than life. Joanne said her mother is remembered for being a remarkable woman and having a way of making you feel so loved and warm, without forcing it on you. Annemarie always left a lasting impression, whether it came to her spilling food on her shirt at dinner, collecting friends as family, or having bar men worried for her hydration! She simply had the ability to embrace everyone for who and what they are and make everyone feel so warm, loved and appreciated at the same time. She had a way of hearing your thoughts and worries without you saying a word.

I was also told about the ‘Newcomb Look’ – she just had that look where you knew to behave, not in a scary way, always from a place of love. Even the paramedic who brought her into the hospital noted that she gave the best hugs. Her children also said their mum could be so funny, hilarious and Patrick added, brutal at times. To Anthony she was not just his wife but absolutely everything to him. Annemarie endured many challenges including the loss of her friends and family members. The most significant as already mentioned is her sister Elaine who died in the September after she and Anthony had moved to England.

 And the following year her dad died. And, of course, her daughter Jackie’s health, suffering from a tumour and epilepsy and everything surrounding this. To see Jackie cope with all that was thrown at her and the incredible strength she has found as a result shows she is very much her mother’s daughter.

Annemarie was told about her diagnosis on 27th of March last year, which of course was a massive shock, but at the same time her family feel it was something she had been preparing for. Joanne said it was only a month before when watching the film ‘Three billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri’ they had spoken about the character having lung cancer. They believe she knew. When Annemarie was given the prognosis of 3-6 months without treatment and a possible 18 months with treatment, her instant decision was to fight to be here longer with her family. Annemarie’s strength and bravery through everything defines her.

Annemarie was moved to St Wilfrid’s Hospice and it was three weeks later there when she passed away on Thursday 24 October at 63yrs. The family asked me to take this opportunity to say thank you to the hospice and for all their care and support for Annemarie. I truly know it is impossible to say how we feel or indeed what we miss the most at this time. Anthony simply misses the woman who was everything to him and being here with him and being able to talk with her. Her children are still trying to understand how we got to this point together today. Like most people, Annemarie didn’t dwell on a time like time, in terms of her own beliefs or expectations other than tell her children she would be coming back to haunt them and I know that she and Patrick used to say only the good die young! How true today!

Joanne would draw on the white board in her mum’s room and the day before she passed away she had drawn a Royal Caribbean cruise ship as a request from her friend Liane and then her friend Nate on the day she actually died remembered how much her mother loved tuna and lobster so she drew this on the board and the quote ‘somewhere beyond the sea’ So maybe just maybe Annemarie is now on her journey somewhere beyond the sea. And if we do believe there is somewhere else after this life, she will be catching up in the bar with Elaine and her dad and everyone else and the dogs, you never know. But we know Annemarie was most certainly here, and she will never be forgotten.

As Abraham Lincoln once said ‘In the end, it’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years.’ And Annemarie made the best of her years, we just wish she’d had more. We listen now to one of the songs she really loved and I know that the line “I hope you still feel small when you stand beside the ocean” will leave a forever mark on her family’s hearts. ‘I hope you can dance’ Lee Ann Womack

Nuala read the poem chosen by Joanne by Merrit Malloy

When I die
Give what’s left of me away To children
And old men that wait to die. And if you need to cry,
Cry for your brother
Walking the street beside you. And when you need me,
Put your arms
Around anyone
And give them
What you need to give to me.
I want to leave you something, Something better
Than words
Or sounds.
Look for me
In the people I’ve known
Or loved,
And if you cannot give me away, At least let me live on your eyes And not on your mind.
You can love me most
By letting
Hands touch hands,
By letting
Bodies touch bodies,
And by letting go
Of children
That need to be free.
Love doesn’t die, People do.
So, when all that’s left of me
Is love, Give me away.
Chapel closing words were followed by the closing music.

Joanne asked Nuala to say on the day if it’s raining – “It’s raining and cats and dogs” in Maltese is “the doors of heaven have opened up” – a pun on Jackie’s fiancé’s name Malte – we believe Annemarie would love that!