Elizabeth Anne Govier (written by her daughter, Lesley) Anne was the only child of Frank and Phyllis Thorne and was born in the village of Motcombe in Dorset on the 1st August 1938. Her arrival in Chard came as a result of the outbreak of war and Frank’s job as an engineer for Westlands. As a good catholic family they attended church here at the Church of the English Martyrs and Anne attended the convent school attached to the church - St Gilda’s. After attaining passes in all the useful subjects she settled into being the family’s financial expert, landing a job in the accounts department of Brecknall Willis. It was here she met Alan, the love of her life, and they were married on 15th February 1958, again here in this church. An avid biker, Alan took her all over the country on the back of his trusty Triumph, in all winds and weathers. 1964 and 1967 were the 2 most significant years of their happy time together, the birth of their daughters Cressida and Lesley! Work took a back seat temporarily, but Anne was soon back in the swing of things with probably one of the best jobs any child could wish for their parent - the local cake shop! Anne would also help out at Manor Court Primary School, hearing the children read. Over time this progressed to working in the school office, until eventually she became the school finance officer, a role she held until her retirement. It was impossible to walk through the town without a little voice piping up “Hello Mrs Govier” - and she knew all of these children by name. During this time Cressida and Lesley moved away from home - and what should have been a happy time spent with Alan was cut devastatingly short by his death on 10th March 1992, 23 years ago yesterday, at the age of 59. Being widowed at such a young age left a huge void in her life, but this void went some way to being filled again by the birth exactly 2 years later of her first granddaughter Harriet. If you’ve been following the dates you’ll realise yesterday was Harriet’s 21st birthday... Anne’s granddaughters were her absolute pride and joy, after Harriet, Charlotte, Grace and Frankie all brought light to Anne’s life and she was so proud of all of them. She enjoyed their holiday visits, most recently looking after Frankie and Bobbie, Frankies cat. And she was equally loved in return by them all. Another great support were the times she spent with her great friend Daphne, who she met here in church. Their regular Saturday jaunts around the countryside were many and varied. Regular reviews of local restaurants and cafés ensued, why they never produced ‘Anne and Daphne’s Good Food Guide’ is a mystery. The other man Although Anne was totally devoted to Alan, and was devastated by his loss, she did allow one other man into her heart. The year would have been around 1995 when a tall, dark handsome gent walked into her life, never to leave. That man was called Colin...Colin Firth, some of you may have heard of him. Not a visit nor a phone conversation would pass without an update of his latest project or where he was going next. As she followed his rise in popularity, Anne came across many more ladies who shared her passion for all things ‘Colin’. Some of whom she met, all of whom she regraded as close friends. They chatted, compared, discussed and dissected. People from all over the globe who have provided support and comfort to all our family. What defined Anne more than many other things however, and the reason we’re all here in this church to celebrate her life, was her faith. It was her faith that sustained her after the death of her beloved husband. Over the years since his death she gradually became more active in the life of this parish, helping to produce the weekly newsletter, running the repository, belonging to the Ladies Guild and the Craft Club. She also enjoyed the occasional visit to Clifton Cathedral for special masses. She firmly believed that one day she would be back with Alan, the man to whom she remained faithful to the end (and not even Colin could shake that!)