Pete Slee's Tribute at the Service of Celebration
2017 February 17
Created by John 7 years ago
Fiona Bernice Booth was born on Friday 4th June 1954, at 114 Church Road, Upper Norwood, South London. She was the 3rd child born to Phil & Mim - she has an older brother, David, and
sister, Lois – both here with us today.
Mim & Phil had intended to name her Bernice Fiona, but this was reversed on the advice of their
older children with their knowledge of current slang. Fiona was not
supposed to be shortened, but this changed – no doubt as
school-friends reduced it to the name by which most of us know her:
“Fi”.
13 Harold Road was not only their home but also the headquarters of a
new Christian Ministry begun by Phil and Mim. Being part of the
missionary society known as WEC, and having worked for some years in
the literature branch, CLC, in 1961 they felt God was prompting them
to set up Radio Worldwide, which developed and produced numerous
programmes to be broadcast by transmitters across the world. 2 small
bedrooms were converted into a control room and studio. A red light
was installed to indicate when recording, one team member called this
a “Fi-fi shusher”!
Another family that shared the house for a while, the Osmonds, provided Fi
with a friendship that lasted a lifetime: – Rachel’s life, that
sadly ended nearly 2 years ago. Ray (as we knew her) married Phil
Pascoe and together they moved to West Canada, British Columbia, from
where Phil has travelled to be here today – thank you.
Early in her life, it was realised that Fi’s health was a cause for
concern. Phil wrote about this, in passing, in his book about Radio
Worldwide, entitled “Slim Fingers”. He writes:
“In the background all this time was our daughter’s health. Month after
month she became worse… Miriam & I had no more than 2 hours’
consecutive sleep for half a year.”
Phil goes on to say that, eventually, a diagnosis was made – which we
know was Cystic Fibrosis.The
prognosis then, for this disease was not good. And yet Phil could
write:
“It is worth recording that our infant daughter has grown up into a young
woman blessed by God and serving Him.”
I’m sure John would agree with Phil’s assessment – and adds that If
anyone had told her parents, or her, that she would live to be 62,
the natural reaction would be to laugh at the improbability.
It is for that reason that she chose the Cystic Fibrosis Trust as the
charity for donations today so that research can continue to work
toward providing solutions to cure this genetically inherited
disease.
I know John would also like me to mention the wonderful care that the
Brompton and Harefield Hospitals gave her over those years.
David and Lois both remember helping their parents by sitting by her cot
when sleep was not coming – then tiptoeing away. Later, Fi was well
enough to attend Sydenham High School where she didn’t need to let
on to her classmates about her illness. Since this was the same
school that Lois had attended, the headmistress – Miss Yardley –
was aware of Fi’s difficulties and was pleased to have her.
However, one of the staff persisted in calling her ‘Lois’ much to
Fi’s annoyance!
When Fi was about 17 she needed a sinus operation. Lois took her
down to Sydenham Children’s Hospital – the ward sister had not
checked her date of birth and was clearly not expecting a strapping
17-year-old who needed a full-sized bed! So, they had to return
in the afternoon by which time they were organised. Fi enjoyed
the attention of the young Drs– an intelligent young lady made a
change from all the babies and young children.
John knows that Fi would want to thank Lois for her care for her little
sister – they even ended up sharing a flat. She always looked up to
her big brother, David, and loved them both, dearly.
Family life was not always easy – the missionary life of their parents, in
a faith-financed community, brought its challenges – but their deep
trust in God, based on their love for Jesus Christ, enabled them to
witness His faithfulness in answer to the prayers of loving, caring,
praying friends.
Fi was always grateful for this strong foundation which stood her in
good stead for her life.
That life developed as she left Sydenham High to cross the Thames to study
Home Economics at North London Polytechnic. During this course, she
spent one Summer in the early 1970s working in a Christian Hotel in
Newquay, Cornwall. The Hotel's staff used to go to the home of Ron
and Mollie Slee at Pentire after Church on a Sunday evening.
It was there that their son, John, fell in love at first sight with Fi.
Afterwards, as he was working in London, Fi invited John for a meal
at the house in Herne Hill she shared for a while with her sister,
and the rest, as they say is history.
They married on October 4th 1975 at Chatsworth Baptist Church. From
college and until the following spring, Fi worked as a home economist
for Bejam, now Iceland.
However, John & Fi jumped at an opportunity to move back to Newquay to take over the Bonita Ice Cream Parlour and Coffee Lounge from John's parents, where Fi used her
cooking and management skills to good effect. During the winter
months, she taught cookery at evening classes.
When the Open Brethren Hall in Marcus Hill – where they had been worshipping - closed,
they found a lovely welcome at St. Columb Minor Parish Church under
the ministry of Jim Edwards.
On 28th September 1981, Fi again beat the odds by giving birth, albeit
prematurely, to Craig at Treliske Hospital, Truro (they were about to
go on a boating hospital with friends, Tim & Carol Dakin, on the
Norfolk Broads). Despite her own physical limitations, she willingly
took on the responsibility of caring for her precious son – a
lifelong reciprocal loving relationship.
After selling the Ice Cream Parlour, they moved to Taunton where Fi did
some evening Banquet waitressing at the County Hotel. From there, the
family moved to Enfield where John trained for the Anglican ministry
at Oak Hill College. It wasn't a particularly happy time for Fi, not
just because it was in North London, but the small flat with a young
son, the distance from the College and perhaps the community life
again, put a strain on her.
However, God had a plan and John's curacy was back at St. Columb Minor and
Colan with Jim Edwards. Fi found a ready friend in Maureen Edwards
that lasted throughout the rest of her life.
Their next home was at St. Mawgan, just outside Newquay. It was at this
stage that Fi's health deteriorated until John was told, when she was
in London's Brompton Hospital, that she would not be coming home
again unless she could have the lung transplant for which she had
been waiting for many months. Thankfully, there was a suitable match
– just in time – and Fi was always so grateful to the parents of
the organ donor for allowing her a new life.
After just over 3 months in hospital with complications, she returned home
to a second life. Once or twice a week, she went line dancing, even
persuading uncoordinated John to join in. As well as being a mother,
Fi began work again, this time at the village tea rooms, part time.
Then, she took a full-time job as a Carers Support Worker based in Truro,
eventually managing the project's team of 8. In this she found real
fulfilment. She made new friends through the new career –
particularly Angela Rowe, who became a best friend. Her colleagues
respected her for her faith and generous spirit.
Apart from a few years when Craig was young, when Florida and Disneyworld
were holiday destinations, John & Fi holidayed annually on
narrowboats on the canals. In 2001, around the time they moved to St.
Mawes, they bought a share in “Twelfth Night” which gave them 4
weeks a year to help decide if eventual retirement onto the canals
would be something that they would enjoy.
In 2006, they took the
plunge, and designed, ordered and purchased a 57' narrowboat which
they named “Epiphany” (after all Epiphany comes after Twelfth
Night). Unexpectedly, John had to take early retirement in 2007 and
they moved onto Epiphany at Devizes Marina. Fi worked with Age
Concern's befriending service but in August 2008 they decided to “let
go fore and aft” & set out from Pewsey, continuously cruising
the canals and rivers of England and Wales. Being of “no fixed
abode” they were grateful to friends John & Carolyn Langridge,
who provided them with a land-base.
From the start, Fi wrote a blog on the Epiphany website which attracted
and still attracts many readers with her interest in the history of
the places visited. Several people took to the canal live-aboard life
after reading the blog or meeting Fi and John. She wrote a monthly
illustrated article for the Canal Boat magazine & also wrote a
guide to the North Yorkshire waterways.
In 9 years, they covered practically the whole system, cruising over
7,500 miles and working nearly 4,500 locks, to arrive, in September
last year, on the Lancaster Canal to see how they got on “up north”
in the winter. It seems that God's hand was in that plan, first
arranged in January 2016.
The year would not be a good one for Fi's
health – she spent time in Stafford, Harefield, Preston and
Lancaster Hospitals before, in 2017, she was in the Royal Preston
Hospital again, with pneumonia. As always, Fi fought hard throughout,
against chest infections and a neurological problem which meant she
lost feeling from her feet and legs, being eventually paralysed from
the waist down.
It was only in the last few days that she acknowledged that she couldn't see herself fulfilling the dream of leaving hospital to live near Craig and Lucie, both of whom she loved
dearly, in a flat overlooking the canal and she died peacefully on Sunday 29th January
.
She will be missed by so many – as tributes on the muchloved.com website testify.
Fi has now crossed the bridge to a place where there’s no sorrow or pain.