In memory of Christina (Tina) Morse

Tina was born Christina Taylor on 30th November 1950, a birthday she was proud to share with Winston Churchill. I met her in 1972 and we were married in 1976, raising two children : Sarah, born in January 1978 and Robert, October 1979.

Tina developed breast cancer early in 1996 and died on 3rd August of that year, some 3 weeks after a mastectomy operation and as a result of an infection.

As to what she was like as an adult, I think it appropriate to quote from a tribute booklet I compiled in 2006 :

�As a mother, Tina was perfect. As a daughter, sister, niece, auntie and friend, she always gave willingly of herself, and would hurt no one. As a Christian, she had an unshakeable faith and belief in God and, without question, merited the gift of eternal life. She was simply the best thing that ever happened to me.�

We had our ups and downs over the years and, under the everyday pressures of raising a family and facing the tribulations of everyday living, were somewhat guilty of neglecting each other on a personal level as the years went by. In that respect, I would say we were a normal couple. If I were to sum up what Tina meant to me, then I would probably repeat what I wrote for her on a card placed with the floral tribute at the time of her funeral : �I was a nobody and you made me feel like somebody�.

The catalyst for this tribute fund was Sarah's leaving England on January 13th 2008 (my 60th Birthday) to start a year of travelling with her husband Russell, mostly in South America. Although I support a number of charities including Cancer Research UK, I had never supported one devoted solely to breast cancer research.

Breakthrough wrote to Sarah after she had stopped a monthly payment she had been making to them because she was leaving the country and would have no income for at least 12 months. I wrote back to them and offered to pick up where she left off. It was then that I learned about the personalised Crocus Tribute scheme.

Stephen Morse
21st July, 2008