The Eulogy for Rosemary Haviland

Evelyn Rosemary Eleonor Hope was born in Ceylon to loving parents Mary Alice Margaret and Cyril George Simpson. She was their second child, her brother Desmond was two years older. Rosemary as most people knew her, was a just a little girl when she left Ceylon and moved to England where, with her loving family, she spent the rest of her happy childhood. Desmond died aged 18 in the second world war serving as a midshipman in the Navy, leaving Rosemary at sixteen as their only child. It is this which made her want a large family with her husband Mike, whether he liked it or not! She was also in competition with her sister in law in the USA, but that is another story. However, we are very grateful for her decision; it is such a comfort to have loving siblings at such a time as this. When Rosemary was younger, she wanted to be a farmer but developed TB after drinking untreated milk, (or so it was thought). She was persuaded that farming was not a suitable occupation for her, so it was understandable that she became a keen gardener and as children we benefited from all the garden produce. I remember there were always lots of broad beans! This love of gardening eventually filtered down to her children, all having gardens of their own and some having allotments, (it’s funny how growing your own vegetables changes your mind about broad beans)! Rosemary was also instrumental in bringing back bell ringing to Micheldever, although I wasn’t really aware of this until the other day when I was speaking with my siblings. We were all encouraged to have a go at it but none of us got bitten by the bug in the way that she did. However I do remember enjoying several bell ringing outings and holidays. We moved to Micheldever in early 1967 and during her life here, Rosemary made many friends, joining the WI, the Mothers Union and of course being a Christian, she went to church each Sunday taking us with her! Rosemary became a teacher in her early 40s doing her teacher training at King Alfred’s College, now part of Winchester University and thus teaching us a valuable life lesson, that it’s never too late to learn new skills. She was good at her job and specialised in learning disabilities, working until her retirement which she was looking forward to with Mike. Sadly this was not to be, as he passed away in the April of 1986 three months prior to her 60th birthday. She outlived him by 35 years. Rosemary continued to be part of the Micheldever Community and