Patricia (Pat) Nicole
24th March 1936 to 2nd February 2021
I am Chris
Nicole, Pat Nicole was my mum. She was also mum to David and Mark and grandma
to James and Bryony. She was a loving wife to Roy and a good friend to so many
people.
Early life
Mum was born
on Monmouth Street off Hessle Road, Hull on 24th March 1936. The
same road that Roy had arrived on a few years earlier. She was named Patricia
but known throughout her life as Pat. Her parents Arthur and Gladys
Wriglesworth (with one g) moved to North Newbald during the war and Pat grew up
there.
Pat’s father
Arthur was a boatwright, working for Pearson’s of Hull. Later he went to work
on Flying-boats at Blackburn’s Aircraft factory in Brough until he retired as a
loftsman. He was a skilled woodworker, painter and gardener. Mum’s mother
Gladys was a trained Seamstress at Madame Clapham’s in Hull. She was a lovely
lady and Pat took after her. We often spent time at our grandparent’s little
cottage in Newbald. Pat inherited her mum’s sewing machine and kept up a
lifelong interest in needlework.
Pat went to
School in Market Weighton and stayed in contact with many of her school friends
throughout her life. After leaving school, Pat worked as a Tracer in the
drawing office at Blackburn’s Aircraft factory at Brough. I was told that Pat’s
desk was next to the secret projects office, which she controlled access to
while being chatted up by the draughtsmen!
Marriage and Family
While
working at Blackburn’s mum met a very smart young aircraft engineer named Roy
Nicole. Roy said "she was an absolute stunner". I have seen the
photos, she really was very glamorous. They were married at North Newbald on
28th March 1959. We often wondered how mum and dad got together, as they are
such different personalities. I know they loved each other very much. They
celebrated their sixtieth wedding anniversary in 2019.
Their first
home was a bungalow in Melton where I arrived in 1962 and David in 1964. Then
for a few years our family had several homes around Luton and Stevenage as we
moved in connection with Dad’s work. Around 1967 we moved to a new house at Wesley Close, South
Cave. This was when Mark arrived and where we three boys grew up. Mum looked
after us all.
As we boys
grew old enough to go to School, Pat learnt to drive. Then she went back to
work as a shop assistant selling kitchen appliances at the Co-operative
department store in Hull. Following closure of the Co-op, she worked as a
freelance retail demonstrator promoting various products from bread and cheese to
Bon-Tempi organs and travelling all around Yorkshire and the North East.
In 1980 Pat and Roy moved to a larger house in Brough. Dad
had his woodshed and workshop, mum had her sewing room in the attic. Every room
had photos of our family, especially the grandchildren. They lived there until
mum had to go into care.
Pat and Roy
always had dogs in their home. Usually scruffy, black and white rescues. The
dogs ranged from a pair of Chihuahuas to Greyhounds. As well as dogs we had a
black cat named Jason, some goldfish won at Hull Fair, a sinister gerbil and
quite a lot of guinea pigs. All were loved and spoilt rotten.
In 1992 Roy
took early retirement from British Aerospace. Mum carried on working for a few
more years. This allowed mum and dad to spend much more time on their hobbies
and holidays. They started with Dutch Dashes across the North Sea then moved
onto longer stays in Portugal, Spain and Turkey. Dad would talk about the food
they had, Mum would talk about the people they met and the friends they made.
Social Life
Pat was
always very sociable, she loved meeting people and would hug given any
opportunity. Wherever she went she made friends easily. Her social network was
phenomenal long before Facebook!
Mum always
got involved in whatever activities there were. She was in the WI and Country
Women’s Guild for most of her adult life, always in an active role and often on
the committee.
Mum loved
dining out at favourite restaurants and would usually invite family and friends to join her. Some of her soirees
could get quite large. In later years she would celebrate her birthday and
wedding anniversary at the Half Moon at Ellerker with as many people as she
could get in the room.
Mum attended church regularly and took us with her. Initially at Broomfleet where a good friend had been installed as the curate. Mum loved singing hymns, the social activities and the coffee morning afterwards! Mum and Dad were both members of Brough Methodists and supported the church with cake and craft shows.
Quilting and Craft Shows
Pat had
always sewn and knitted, making clothes for us or friends. Like her mum, she
was an excellent needleworker. Mum took up quilting and patchwork as a hobby.
They used to visit patchwork and quilting exhibitions and mum competed in the
WI. After retirement, mum always had a piece of needlework to hand that she
would be working on.
Mum used to
sell her hand quilted cushions at craft fairs alongside Dad’s wood turning. She
loved attending the craft shows and had many friends amongst the crafters and
customers. Cottingham Civic Hall was a regular venue. Mum and Dad were both
active members of the East Yorkshire Woodturners group and regularly attended
meetings.
Pat and Roy
were both on the committee of Friends of Mires Beck Nursery. While mum was
never much of a gardener, she did love acquiring plants. They helped raise
funds for Mires Beck with cake and craft shows and could often be seen with
craft tables side-by-side and a dog nearby. A few years ago Pat and Roy
represented Mires Beck at a Buckingham Palace Garden Party.
Epitaph
Pat was very
sociable with a wide network of friends lasting many years.
She had an
encyclopedic knowledge of who was related to whom.
She loved
her family and friends.
She was open
hearted and generous in her affection.
She was
always ready to lend a hand or bake a cake for any worthy cause.
She was a
very determined, cheerful lady.
She liked to
dress well and always took care of her appearance.
She was our
mum.
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