08-05-2023

A sad day for us all

Norman Hart was buried in the beautiful church inside Portchetser Castle on Thursday 4^th May. The church was packed for the funeral, he had a large family and a wide circle of friends and neighbours. About ten of us Shedders attended to pay our respects. On arrival we were presented with a small piece of tartan to wear, while Chris Milburn played a medley of Scottish tunes at the organ. I wasn't aware of Norman's Scottish ancestry, but we learned that he was almost born in Scotland. His mother moved from the Isle of Arran to Manchester shortly before his birth, and Norman always felt he had been cheated. His widow Yvonne, spoke very movingly of their 54 years together and told us stories of his younger days before we knew him.

We will all remember him for his sense of humour, and when Yvonne told me that he had asked for me to play the accordion at the wake, I did wonder if this was his final joke, especially as he had never heard me play. The wake was held at the Methodist Church Hall, Portchester, with a display on the stage of many items that he had made. The room was barely big enough to hold all the people who came. This made it an easier gig for me, as everyone was too busy talking and eating to notice when I played a wrong note. Now that I knew about the Scottish connection it seemed appropriate to choose some waltzes, jigs and reels, and I hope Norman would have liked them. RIP Norman, we will all miss you.

Author: Richard Bunce

Note from the webmaster - Norman's email address was breadbuncakes - he really was an excellent baker but I don't think Richard could quite master the tune of “Have you seen the Muffin Man?”