Page 31 - NOS 2021

in memorium
The Queen of tea and cake!
Brenda Irene McKetty – one of lifes’ powerhouses – was one of my closest friends and peer.
This is going to be an informal tribute to her as she absolutely hated ‘fuss’!!
Most of us knew her as a quirky artist and as the editor of the FPAA Newsletter for 14 years, but there
was so much more to her and
those closest to her valued her knowledge, her opinions – and
she could be VERY opinionated,
her sense of fun and probably
most of all, her loyalty and her courage in saying whatever needed to be said, whatever the cost.
She did it her way, blue hair and all, tinsel and fairy lights on her walking frame which she took with her to her beloved music festivals, Blues being her favourite music along with Manfred Mann, who
she heard perform many times during her stewarding evenings at the Castle Theatre with her soul mate and husband, Dennis.
Her other pleasures and passions,
were her 2 dogs, Lily and Barley whom they rescued a few years back, the love they gave them worked wonders for all parties!! And of course, their sons, Gary in Hampshire and Marlon in
Barcelona, and their posse
of Grandchildren, she was
so proud of all of their
achievements.
She fought for so long against all the odds, after
a brain bleed, learning to walk and talk again, getting back into the swing only to
be knocked back by breast cancer, which she took
in full stride and became
a strong supporter and fund raiser for Crazy Hats, even running
workshops in sketching to help others in the group.
Alas, the cancer spread to her hips and spine, finally taking her life on St Georges’ Day, April 23rd. I am not going to share her birth date as she would be horrified and would probably strike me down as I write this!!
I loved her to bits and I will always miss her effervescence, her biting wit – sometimes - and I will always treasure the many years that I had the honour and pleasure to share with her.
Each time I go out I will still hear her say ‘I hope
there will be cake!’ Those closest to her will resonate with this.
Her artwork will live on forever and brighten the
life of anyone lucky enough to own a piece of her work.
Annette Sykes
NOS 31