This site is dedicated to the memory of Lily.

Mum, Sarah Elizabeth ( Lily ) was born in County Wexford on October 25, 1920. she was brought to England at two weeks old and travelled here with her Mother Sarah Jane French and older sister Kitty their transport was a cattle boat and Lily slept in a manger, they came to join Lily's Father Martin Moses French who had come to England to find work. At arround 6mths of age Lilly was very ill and not expected to live but she pulled through and although the Dr said she would not live past her 1st Birthday she celebrated another 88 yrs, she would tell us stories of sitting up on the roof of the family home down by the promenard in Rock Ferry, and watching the bombs being dropped over Liverpool, her Father built his own boat which he kept on the Mersey at Rock Ferry Lily often went out on the boat and although she could not swim she wasn't affraid of the water her Father also built his own caravan which he kept on a farm owned bt the Williams family out in Wales, I think the entire family have very fond memories of our trips out on the boat and ho;idays spent at the caravan, Lily was very much like her father and could turn her hand to anything, the word can't just did not exist in her vocabulary. Lily married James Alfred Johnson on 7th May 1945 ( the day the war ended ) and it was the only wedding that day in Birkenhead, Lily went on to have four children, Martin Alfred, 21/02/1946, Margaret Patricia, 23/07/1947 ten years later Gillian Elizabeth 05/01/1957 then me Frances Joyce 20/04/58, Lily was a special lady she did everything she could for her children, Lily worked as a dinner lady at two schools on the Woodchurch where we grew up, Arrowe Hill School and secondly St Michaels School while at St Michaels she met Marion Parry one of the teachers and she began working for Mrs Parry, through her work at Mrs Parry's Lily began working for lots of other people, Marion Parry, Ann Carter, Mary and John Godwin where her main people Lily had really fond memories of these times especially Ann Carter and Mary and John Godwin, these two families had their own children and Lily loved them almost as much as her own, if anyone had a problem they always went to Mrs Johnson, her knitting and sewing has travelled the world, as we where growing up Mum (Lily) would take us on walks and we would walk for miles, we would walk to Moreton, sit and have our lunch on the beach then we would walk to West Kirby and across to Little Eye by Hilbre, it wasn't just her own children she would take on these walks almost every child in our street came with us at one point or another, and it never worried her how many she took at one time, on some occasions there must have been 10 or 12 children, on the odd occasion we would be late home yet not one of the other parents worried about their children all they ever said was they are with Mrs Johnson they will be fine, Lily retired from her work at the age of 72, but she was never still, she continued doing her knitting, even though she suffered from arthritic pains in her hands, some of her last knitting was for her Great Grandchildren, she was always in her garden she loved having her garden to potter arround in, well not just her own she would potter about in my garden for hours at a time when she came to stay at the weekends, I knew that with my Mum I could do anything, Lily was not just this wonderful lady she was My MUM and Best Friend, I will love and miss her more than words could ever say, and I hope those of you who knew Lily will add to this Memorial your own memories of her. R.I.P Mum, God Bless You and Goodnight, your loving Daughter Frances xxxxx

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On the 25th October 2020 it was your 100th Birthday we would have all written something on the day but the past 2 months have been so awful for us you see Ralph has been diagnosed with prostrate cancer not just that it has spread to his lynphnodes and his bones he is having all kinds of tests and scans to see how far it has spread, Mum if it comes to the worst will you please greet him into our family in heaven and help him deal with his passing he probably won't mind so long as he has somewhere to play ⛳ golf haha anyway Mum so sorry I didn't post on here for your Birthday but I did say it to you I hope you were listening Mum Happy 100th Birthday I love and miss you so much xxxxx
Frances
5th November 2020
hi Mum I haven't written for a while, its been 3 years now since you left us, I still miss you so very much, I wish I could speak to you one more time and hear your voice, there are so many things I would like to tell you and it hurts so much not being able to talk to you, I wish I could tell you that the last time you where admitted into hospital it was me who called for the ambulance, I know you didn't want to go back in but Mum you where very unwell, you kept saying it was Margaret who had you admitted but Mum it was me, Margaret had nothing to do with it, it hurts me Mum so much that you felt Margaret had put you in hospital just to get you out of the way but Mum that is so untrue, we all loved and cared for you so much, the first time you where admitted it was Alfie then Andrew, because they both found you and you didn't know what was happening the next time was a year later when Margaret who had spent that last year looking after you had to gave you admitted because you were very ill and couldn't breath properly when you were well enough to go home Gillian stayed with you and again you got very ill and Gi.lian had to admit you to hospital, the last time it was me we couldn't lift or move you Mum and you didn't know where you where I was so frightened seeing you this way, so as you can see Mum it wasn't just Margaret we had all had you admitted at some point, it was hard for us to do it but you needed more than any of us could do for you, it hurts me so much that I was the last person to have you admitted and that was the very last time, I am sorry Mum Iknow you didn't want to go back to hospital but there was nothing we could do for you, I often think it is my fault you passed away when you did because you didn't seem to fight as you did the other times, it broke my heart Mum watching you give up, I really am sorry for getting you put back in hospital I just didn't know what else to do for you, I never thought you would blame Margaret and its as though once you knew it was me you gave up because I was the last of your children to have put you where you just didn't want to be, I know that hospital was the best place at the time but I also wish I had the strength to keep you at home where you wanted to be, please forgive me Mum, I never thought my actions would be the reason you gave up and died, all this I know would sound stupid to some people but its how I feel, I lost you and it was my fault, I hope befor my time comes you will forgive me so that we can be not just Mother and Daughter once again but the friends that we were too, I will close now Mum, I love and miss you with all my heart xxxxx
Frances
22nd April 2012
sitting here thinking, an idea came to mind, to write a poem about my Mum, but the words they would not come, you see there is a problem, and the problem is, no one has invented, the words that mean, MY MUM x . . . there are no words in this world that can describe the lady who was my Mum x
Frances
9th July 2011
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