Remembering Auntie Alice

Read by Marcus Perkins

From my earliest memories, Auntie Alice was a source of tireless encouragement, supporting everything Lenora and I attempted, everything we were involved in. Every achievement, no matter how small, truly delighted her.

And when we had a problem, no matter how trivial, she would carefully listen, offering wise and considered advice. She loved to recall humorous stories of when we were young, but rarely managed to finish them. Once she started chuckling at a detail that delighted her, she just couldn’t stop laughing.

But it wasn’t only Lenora and I who benefited. 

Auntie Alice encouraged everybody she loved, offering the same wisdom, the same untiring enthusiasm. And she did this throughout her life.

Whether you were playing rugby, running a marathon, or presenting an exhibition, she would somehow get herself there. We all have memories of Auntie Alice struggling over muddy fields, limping along hard roads or inching up tricky steps, so she could support the people she loved.

Encouraging and supporting others was in Auntie Alice’s DNA. 

Born in Switzerland, she moved to England in the 60’s to train as a nurse. On qualifying, she was mentioned in the newspapers - not only because she had qualified top of the class, but also because she had been learning English at the same time.

She became a ward sister, then a senior midwife, before going on to tutor an entirely new generation of nurses - many of whom she never lost contact with: a testament to the quality of her teaching.

Auntie Alice was also a trailblazer of sorts. As well as carving out a professional career, she owned her own car and had bought her own house - quite an achievement for a single woman in the 60’s and 70’s.

When Auntie Alice married Ken in 1977, she once again gave everything she had - working, caring, supporting and loving her new family until she was widowed 18 years later in 1995.

After retiring in 1996 from a life-time of service and full-time work, Auntie Alice devoted herself to her family, the church and an ever growing community of friends.

In London, she became a celebrated Auntie to people she had never met. The Christmas cakes she made each year for Sarah and I were so big, we started to keep them for summer parties. As the years rolled by, the summer cutting of Auntie Alice’s Christmas cake evolved into an anticipated event and a celebrated tradition - one that will continue in Auntie Alice’s honour.

Alice was a sister to Ruth, Hedi, Urs and Walter, Aunt to Marianne, Monica and Christian, and a truly great Aunt to Sam and Joe, and godmother to Roger Meier.

But above all, she was Auntie Alice to us all, my Ant Al, the greatest Auntie anybody could wish for.

She will forever be lovingly remembered and very dearly missed.