Requiescat in pace

A personal post, that my dear Aunt - Vera - has died, aged 89. She was a faithful Anglican all her life, slightly mystified by my conversion to Catholicism back in the late '90s, but, true to her nature, understanding, supportive and generous.

(Vera at my Ordination, 2010 - her hand on my chasuble)

Her life spanned an incredible period - from 1924 to 2013 - she experienced the Depression of the '30s as a child and then, as a young woman, the horror of the Second World War; she trained as a shorthand typist and joined a local Estate Agent as a secretary and became a partner and then, eventually, sole owner.
Vera was an incredible woman, very independent, always active and enthusiastic. She never married, but in addition to her Christian faith and her "vocation" as an Estate Agent (- strange as it may seem, recently people have been revealing to me how generous Vera was in loaning them her personal money on trust so that they could complete their move! [I wonder how many other Estate Agents would ever consider this?] -) she was also a great amateur actress, being involved in many clubs, including the Ingoldsby Club, the St Oswald's and Streatham Players, the Magdalene Players and others; a further element in Vera's life was having a dog as a companion - a whole series of them ensued over the years after the adoption of her first Jack Russell who was named Scamp: then came Sam, Pickles and ultimately, Benny.
In her latter years she maintained her independence as much as she could. Back in 2004, aged 80, she came and visited me in Rome whilst I was in my first year in seminary - she always said she would never forget the taxi ride from the airport to the Centro Storico (I was there, and she was quite right - it certainly was a white-knuckle ride and one I shall never forget either!); she finally retired officially from actively running her Estate Agency just a few years ago - amazing - and has still carried on with what she called "just a few rentals" and what had become a "new project", her memoirs which she hoped to get published before she died.
Above all, Vera lived and loved - she lived her life in a loving way and she loved life. May all of her huge charity and generosity over her long life bear much fruit, and may her soul, and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.