Cecelia May Dodd

GEDCOM Note

CECELIA MAY ALLAN 10 November 1902 - 25 March 2001 (Eulogy prepared by Margaret Unwin)

Cecelia enjoyed a wonderfully long life. She was born on 10November 1902, the second of eight children born to Henry and Phoebe Dodd. Shehad three sisters and four brothers all of whom she outlived.

Her father was an English merchant seaman, who moved toAustralia as a young man. He joined the NSW Water Police, and retired as aninspector. The family home was in Balmain. Cecelia was a devoted, caring anddutiful daughter. Her education was sadly sacrifced as she was requiredfrom the age of 12 to assist her mother in raising and caring for hersiblings and in the running of the household. Her "mothering" of the familycontinued for many years. When her dear brother, Gordon, came to her with no placeto live, she provided him with a home for six years until he got back on hisfeet and left to be married.

She married her husband, Sydney George Allan, on 17 January 1931at St Andrews Congregational Church, Balmain. They built a home inGladesville where they raised two children, Graham and Margaret. Syd wasemployed by the North Coast Steamship Company, working and travelling oncoastal ships. He became very ill with lead poisoning as a consequence of hiswork, and died in May 1948. They had only 18 years together. It was thebeginning of a very sad and challenging time for Cecelia.

Graham and Margaret were very young when their father died, andthen soon after Cecelia came perilously close to losing her own life.After a long period of separation and convalescence, away from the family, they allreturned home together, and she began to take control of her life.

She proved herself to be a person of great inner strength anddetermination. She was fiercely independent and with limited resources, dideverything within her power to care for her family and home. She was determinedshe would not be a burden on anyone. Her self-control was such that Graham andMargaret never saw her sadness and grief. She then bravely endured thedistress of a court case over Syd's illness and death throughout which she wassupported by her dear older sister, Maud and husband, Pat. The outcome wasnothing like today's compensation cases but she was overjoyed that the familyhome could be paid off so that the family would never be without a home.

Cecelia's life's interests centred around family friends andhome. The family's health and happiness were most important to her. She enjoyed hergardening reading, sewing and knitting. In her younger days she lovedmusic ballroom dancing and playing cards. She had a great interest in livetheatre particularly musical comedies, and continued to go to the theatre with afriend until well into her eighties.

She was extremely proud of her family and their achievements,and especially enjoyed watching her four grandsons grow up to become very fineyoung men. She has since welcomed the happy arrival of three greatgrandsons, and two great granddaughters. She would constantly remark, "I'm solucky to have had such a wonderful family". She genuinely loved herdaughter-in-law, Susan, and son-in-law, Robert, and appreciated all that they didto help her. She was particularly grateful for Sue's care and compassionduring her time at Northaven.

She had many friends - friendly and kind to all those she met,but careful and reserved in the formation of true friendships. Her creed was tospeak kindly of everyone, or not to speak at all. She always had a ready smile,loved to laugh and had the ability to laugh at herself! Once she had formed afriendship, she became a loyal and faithful friend. Her dearest friend of morethan 80 years died almost two years ago. They had a wonderful friendshipformed in primary school days. She also had a special loving relationshipwith her sister, Maud, and she was deeply saddened by their separation when Mauddied several years ago.

At 88 years, Cecelia moved into assisted living at the HuntersHill Congregational Retirement Village where she enjoyed her ownaccommodation until she required full nursing care and entered NorthavenNursing Home where she remained in good care until her death last Sunday -known in the church as "Mothering" Sunday.

She was truly a loving, dutiful daughter and sister, and aloving, caring, devoted wife, mother, mother-in-law, grandmother and greatgrandmother.

Throughout her long life, she was admired by all who knew herfor her great courage and determination in the face of adversity, her sense ofduty, and her cheerful caring nature.

She will be greatly missed.