non sibi sed toti	Parsons Family and Friends

Emily Index Chapter One: Her parents Chapter Two: Growing up in Wicklow Chapter Three: The Years of the Great War Chapter Four: Boarding School Chapter Five: The Idyll Ends Chapter Six: The Morris Minor - and Poland Chapter Seven:January 3rd or My Journey to Warsaw Chapter Eight: Sewerynov 3 Chapter Nine: Love in a cold climate Chapter Ten: Escape with a baby Chapter Eleven: Dubliners Chapter Twelve: Post-war London Chapter Thirteen: In Metroland Chapter Fourteen: Dreaming Spires Chapter Fifteen: Sheffield Chapter Sixteen: Gold and Diamond Chapter 14: Dreaming Spires Yet again Emily moved to an old-fashioned vicarage. Martin wrote about his Institution at St Andrew's, Oxford: A big crowd came from Emmanuel to give us a send-off, and were entertained afterwards in the room at the back of the church, and at the Vicarage. Some of the ladies were shocked by the old-fashioned kitchen, such a contrast with our new house at Northwood. But it was a nice Vicarage on the whole, and a lovely garden of manageable size. We later had the kitchen modernized, and put in night storage heaters. As we always had 'lodgers' on the top floor, we also put in an extra bath. The modernisation of the kitchen included a small dish-washer. It cannot have been very effective, because Emily did not have one in later years. Since the vicarage was quite spacious, it was opened for a Sunday evening after-church meeting, which was well attended. On 3rd November Emily's mother died, aged 92. She had been a constant source of love, prayer and support, whether Emily was living with her or far away. Emily had gone to stay with her at least once every year, and in her last years had paid more frequent visits. In February 1964 Emily had arrived at 8 a.m. on Tuesday 4th. They went to Crinken Church together on the Sunday, and spent Tuesday 11th with Irene. Then the entry in Evelyn's diary on Thursday 13th: Dearest Emily went away by boat. Left at 7.30. Evelyn was clearly growing weaker, with days of feeling poorly, or very poorly. She stayed in bed for three days in March 1964, having made the effort to go to church though feeling ill. On several Sundays she, uncharacteristically, did not go to church. But there were other times when she was quite active, receiving visitors like Gladys from Glendalough and [Canon] Billy and Cecil Wynne, and visiting Irene. Emily visited with Martin in June, 1964, as part of their fortnight's holiday in Ireland. In October Evelyn was ill for a week. Emily went for a week in early December, and Charlie and Doreen spent Christmas - Evelyn's last - with her in Bray. Some time in 1965 Evelyn wrote to Emily that she was well, but that she got a little breathless when she was cleaning the bath. David and Dorothy Evans visited in early September, but on Sunday 26th Evelyn was taken ill, and 'Sweet Emily' came the next day. She stayed for ten days, and then 'Darling C came.' On October 21st Evelyn wrote to the doctor. That, apart from a note of Dorothy's and Doreen's birthdays, probably entered in advance, is the last entry she made in her diary. The end, when it came, was quite quick. Her sister Irene visited her on November 3rd. Evelyn knew that she was dying, and the doctor told Irene that Emily and Charlie should be called. Emily arrived the next morning by the ferry to find that her brother Charlie was there - he had flown and got there before midnight - and that her mother had died at 3.30 that morning. They arranged the funeral for Saturday 11th at Crinken Church. Martin and David flew over for the funeral, and were among seven or eight clergy present. Revd Bertie Neill, assisted by others, took the service. It was a fine but cold day. Evelyn was buried in the grave of Emily's beloved father at Newcastle, near Wicklow. Emily had arranged coffee and sandwiches at her mother's house, and met many relatives there including her cousins May and Jack Wynne, and Gladys Wynne, from Glendalough, and Charles and Carol Acton. Among the friends of Emily's youth were Mildred and Ernest Switzer. That may possibly have been Emily's last visit to her native Ireland. While in Oxford Emily suffered from varicose veins, and had an operation to relieve the problem. At some point she suffered from shingles, but I cannot remember whether this was in Oxford or earlier. Robert was still based at home, while training for the ministry at the London College of Divinity in Northwood. David and family were now in Beccles, in Suffolk, and visited the vicarage from time to time, and Emily and Martin also took holidays in their direction. Dorothy and David were in Cockfosters, where he was curate at Christ Church. They stayed there till they went out with S.A.M.S. in 1967 (?) to Buenos Aires. When Dorothy went as a missionary to South America, Emily experienced something of what her own mother had felt when she went to Warsaw in 1934, but with two major differences: Emily, not being a widow like her own mother, was not left to live alone; on the other hand South America is a great deal further than Poland, and the intervals between visits home to England were much greater. Previous chapter || Next Chapter