Parishioners attend the Funeral of Petal O'Hea

Numerous parishioners here remember Petal O'Hea, and were saddened to learn of her recent death at the age of 98.  Frances Allen, Michael Steele and Maureen & Bob Durston attended her Funeral Mass in Hereford last month, and Frances suggested that the eulogy printed below would be of interest to Petal's many other friends and acquaintances in Guildford.

​Eulogy for Petal O'Hea, by her daughter Brigid

What can I add about Petal’s life that you haven’t already heard? All the family would like to thank you for coming today.  She LOVED a good get-together did Petal! 

Petal was one of 7 brothers and sisters and was born to a very Catholic family in Durban South Africa in 1920.  Just occasionally, you could detect a slight accent in her speaking voice.  She was the 2nd youngest and was the youngest graduate of her time to go to University in Durban.  Her love of drama and literature took her on a sea voyage to England in 1947 when she met and later married the Captain, Frank O’Hea.  She was on her way to see the royal Wedding of the Queen to Philip Mountbatten, and was quite an adventurous gal for her time.

​She was always busy working, teaching, doing charity work either in the UK or in South Africa where I spent my early years.  Later Mum moved to Guildford, Surrey in the 60’s where she developed a great circle of friends within a busy parish.  We are so honoured that a group have come up from Guildford today.  She cared for her husband Frank till she was widowed in 1987.

Petal moved very bravely to Hereford in her mid 70’s after her second grandchild was born, but instead of retiring, she worked as a private tutor until she was almost 90.  She wrote books, visited Buckingham Palace with her work for the Red Cross, baked millions of scones for fetes, and events, knew all the staff in Tesco, and on any joint shopping trips, she was a menace stopping to talk to everyone she knew!  Many people will remember her red buggy and her little black poodle Toby.  She was travelling to South Africa and Lourdes until her mid 80’s and only gave up driving in her 80’s.

Petal’s parents were Swedish and also from Alsace which is now French.  They had emigrated to South Africa in the late 1800’s and had later been interned as civilian farmers by the British in a Concentration Camp during the Second Boer War at the turn of the 20th century.  She always kept close ties to her Swedish roots.

Petal had an unwavering Faith which gave her strength especially when she battled breast cancer in 1985, and then later suffered sight and hearing loss, as well as skin cancer, all of which she took in her stride.  Nothing slowed her down and in spite of various falls in later years, Petal managed to hang on to her mobility almost until the end.  She was indefatigable throughout her life, I grew up never knowing what the word LIE-IN meant.  Living in Hereford meant she was able to see her grandchildren grow up, and be involved in their education, to which she was extremely generous.  One of her proudest moments was her older granddaughter’s wedding at Belmont Abbey in 2016.

We will all remember Petal in our own different ways, but we all experienced her energy, her way of somehow finding ourselves being signed up for collecting for something, or arranging something for a fete, bazaar or worthy cause or typing up something.  She found time to write books, and made an appearance in the Hereford Times, for rescuing ducks over a busy road.

In the last couple of years, she held onto her independence fiercely, and we are all grateful to the friends, family, neighbours, parishioners and staff who cared for her and ensured that she had the peaceful end she so richly deserved, and is now in her heavenly home.