Mum’s tribute Gillian Anne – known to many as Jill, was born in Gainsborough on 13th December 1945, the only child of Stan and Betty Wadsworth. Although an only child, Jill enjoyed the company of family and family friends while growing up in Gainsborough. The wider family of aunties, uncles, and cousins would join together for summer holidays to Scarborough, Mablethorpe and Skegness, as well as meeting up for regular family gatherings. Jill attended Kingston Upon Hull Teacher Training College in 1963 and qualified as a Primary School Teacher 3 years later. While at Teacher training college, Jill acted with ‘The Prospice Players’, taking the lead role of Isabella in Shakespeare’s, ‘Measure for Measure’. Jill joined the rest of the cast in performing this play at the Fringe Edinburgh Festival in 1966. Jill loved children and was a dedicated teacher, spending many hours at the dining room table lesson planning, marking work and preparing activities for her class. Family members were frequently drafted in to help out, with Pete coaching football for Jill’s class, and Kyra listening to children read on occasion. At the end of every school year Jill would be sad to see her class move on. Not only because she would miss them, but because she had got them ‘well trained’. Jill taught in Hull, Lincoln and Norfolk. While in Lincoln in 1975 Jill became a mother to ‘the twins’, Kyra and Philip – or Pip as he was known to everyone in his childhood. Kyra and Philip have memories of a childhood filled with stories, playing games like Mousetrap and ‘The Merry Game of Floundering’, and walks to Boutham Park with Inger the black labrador. Jill often told stories of how coping with twins could be a challenge – especially if they were to toddle in different directions at the park…Inger was sent to knock one twin over to allow Jill the chance to pick one up and head to the other! In 1983 Jill met the love of her life – Pete Castle. In the early days while travelling to Norfolk from Lincoln, Jill would tell the twins that the ‘P’ signs on the side of the road had been placed there by Pete the night before to help us find our way. We did all find our way and on Friday 13th April 1984 Jill and Pete were married. The date having significance to them both as Jill was born on the 13th of December and Pete was born on the 13th of September. Far from being unlucky, this was a lucky date for them as they were together for 40 years and married for 39 happy years. We all made our home in Horsford, Norfolk. Pete’s daughters, Faye and Frances along with Kyra and Philip made a family of 6. As if having 4 children between the ages of 9 and 11 was not enough, the family now also included 2 labradors Cindy and Inger, a budgie and 2 fish. Jill, along with Pete, made the house into a home where the foundations settled and grew stronger with each passing year. While eventually the ‘children’ grew and moved away, the house in Horsford was always a home where we could gather together. With so many children, son in-laws, a daughter in law and grandchildren these gatherings were delightfully chaotic and noisy. As Jill wrote in one of her Christmas letters, ‘We are very much enjoying life with just the two of us, but it’s great to have them all home occasionally’. Jill and Pete loved to go on amazing adventures around the world; they went white water rafting in Canada, and experienced flying in a rickety plane over China (where the passengers were told not to move in case of disturbing the balance of the plane), they also toured Japan, Australia and India to name a few destinations. They were also lucky to go on one of Concordes final flights, which was a 50th birthday present to Jill from Pete. In more recent years their trips to Tenerife were tame in comparison, but still very much enjoyed although Jill and Pete were happy just being together regardless of whether they were on holiday or in their garden at home. When they weren’t travelling to some wonderful destination Jill and Pete could usually be found walking or gardening. They loved to walk, and Pete once called Jill ‘the fastest woman in boots’, one firework night in Lincoln. He wasn’t wrong, and in fact it was often a struggle to keep up with them on their walks. It has only been in recent years that they have not had a labrador alongside them on a walk – having cared for Inger, Cindy, Xian (she-ann) and Mlijet (Milly), Jill and Pete loved Labradors. Jill also liked to garden and knew the names of most flowers, if she didn’t know the name of something you can be sure she would look it up in a book. Reading being one of Jill’s great pleasures. Jill always had a book on the go and has an impressive library that Pete built in the Horsford home. Jill also liked to knit, and all 7 grandchildren were kitted out at some point with cardigans, hats and jumpers. Jill loved being a gran to Harry, Callum, Connor, Tim, George, Lola and Zoe. They all had the chance to be spoiled with homemade cakes, treats and stories. Jill made sure each grandchild received a book in their Christmas parcel, as reading was so important to Jill. Harry and Callum – as the first 2 grandchildren, and each living so far from Norfolk, enjoyed annual holidays with their gran and grandad which usually involved daily beach trips whatever the weather. Being a grandmother brought Jill happiness and she enjoyed all her grandchildren. Jill was kind and generous. Just before moving to teach at St Faiths C of E Primary School, Jill met Tomoko, a lady from Japan, who was having a difficult time with her placement sponsor. Jill did not hesitate to take her into the family home and ensured that she had a lovely experience while in England. This generosity was repaid when Tomoko invited Jill and Pete to experience life in Japan. While teaching at St Faiths Jill arranged for some of the children in the school to be Christened in the local church – this evolved into an annual event where many children were welcomed into the Christian family because of Jill. Jill touched the lives of many people and was a beloved wife, devoted mother and grandmother and will be missed forever.

Thank you for setting up this memorial to Jill. We hope that you find it a positive experience developing the site and that it becomes a place of comfort and inspiration for you to visit whenever you want or need to.

I am I and you are you, whatever we were to each other that we still are. Speak to me in the easy way which you always used. Why should I be out of mind because I am out of sight? Life means all that it ever meant, it is the same as it ever was.