Valerie Kaye Rycroft

20 Jan 1931 - 05 May 2015

 

20/05/1931 – 05/01/2015

Val died peacefully at Princess Alexandra Retirement Village, Napier. Her wonderful, positive, gutsy attitude allowed her to cope graciously with ongoing illness.

Adored wife of Victor. 

Beloved mother and mother-in-law of Charles and Joy, Peter and Angela, and Julia.  Cherished Granny of Simon and Lily, Alex and Janell, Sam, Ryan, David and Adele.  Amazing sister and sister-in-law of Shirley and Roger (deceased), Gail and Michael, Christopher (deceased) and Nancy, and David and Diana.

Heartfelt thanks to Dr Richard Stubbs, Princess Alexandra and Hawke’s Bay Hospital for their caring and very professional support.

A celebration of Val’s life was held at The Dunstall Memorial Chapel,

Edwardes Street Napier, on Saturday 10 January 2015.

Tributes may be left at our website www.dunstalls.co.nz or posted to the Rycroft Family, c/- PO Box 1055, Napier 4140.

Sincere heartfelt message to Val's lovely family. I had the privilege to care for your wife and mother over the many months she spent with us at Princess Alexandra. The very first time I met Val I couldn't help but notice how beautiful this gracious lady was. Her gorgeous blue eyes twinkled with humour and she was always very pleased to see me each day. She struck me instantly as a true lady. Well spoken and such etiquette. Often she would talk about Victor (she absolutely adored him immensely), and say "where is that naughty man". Val is the only person I have met that brushed her teeth like I do. This would take a bit of time and I often laughed at her when trying to rush her a bit, and she would say I haven't finished yet!!!!.I was truly saddened by Val's loss of independence when she was unable to walk down to lunch and dinner, but through it all she remained cheeky and smiley and often hid her pain and discomfort well. Please accept my condolence's on the loss of a very special woman, whom I will miss immensely and think about often. Some people I meet are just impossible to forget, and she is definitely one of those. Thank you for allowing me the honour of being with Val right to the end. And I hope your family find a peace and acceptance that I am sure she would wish for you all. Cres Ha Karensa...(with peace and love).

Kind Regards

Ange Knibb.

Ange Knibb ( 16 Jan 2015 )

Six or so years back, I was on tour in Australia with my band Rhombus. I was delighted to hear that Granny and Grandpa were coming to see one of the shows, which was being held at the Currumbin RSL. We had a very good turn out that day; the music was loud and hefty, and scores of teens-to-thirty-somethings crowded the dancefloor. Having a pair of 80 year old VIP guests was a new experience for us, and we reserved a comfortable sofa positioned at a respectable distance from the blaring speakers. The crowd surged and the late afternoon sun streamed in as we reached the peak of our performance. Much to our surprise, the jostling revelers suddenly parted mid dancefloor, and there were our Victor and Val, abandoning all ills and stiff joints to pull off a fine foxtrot. The crowd went wild as the unexpected couple, all smiles, stole the show.

There are so many more precious memories of my ever-lighthearted Granny, and we wish we could be there to share them. Lily and my thoughts are with you all today. Grandpa: know that while you may be dancing solo at the next Rhombus concert, you have people all around the world who care about you very much, and we look forward to seeing you when we come over again soon.

Lots of love from Simon.

Simon Rycroft ( 10 Jan 2015 )