131mirafiori forum

Dear Friends

I am sorry to have to inform you that Jo Widdrington, one of the most well-known and popular members of the Fiat Motor Club (GB), the Club's magazine editor and membership secretary for many years, died early Sunday morning, 2nd May following a long battle with cancer. The funeral will be next Thursday, 13th May. Here's the details from her daughter Kirsty:

Ladies & Gents,
                    JO WIDDRINGTON'S Funeral/Celebration of mum's life is to be held on Thursday 13th May @ 1:20pm
The location is SOUTH WEST MIDDLESEX CREMATORIUM (Hanworth Crematorium) Hounslow Road, Hanworth, Feltham, Middlesex, TW13 5JH.
 
We the family are NOT having cortege cars that follow the hearse as we feel that it would be a much more fitting tribute to mum to follow in as many classic Fiats as possible so we will be following in the 500 & Ferrari so we urge as many of you as possible to attend in your beautiful classic cars and give her the send off she so rightly deserves.
 
 
We are having a get together after the ceremony at a venue which is 5-10 minutes away
Kempton Cricket Club, Kempton Avenue, Sunbury-on-Thames, TW16 5NG
It would be fantastic if as many of you as possible could attend so we can all raise a glass to mum and also tell many stories (as I know there are many & many of them)
Also if you have pictures of mum could you either get copies of them or bring the originals along & I shall get them copied and send them back to you.
 
If I could be so kind as to ask people to let me know if you are hoping to stay for the get together afterwards, as we are currently arranging catering.
 
Mum had requested not to have flowers at the funeral so other than immediate family, if you were planning to send flowers could we please ask that you instead make a donation on mums behalf to breast cancer research.
We will be accepting donations at the funeral or if you are unable to attend please send them to us at:
 
7 SOUTHLAND WAY
HOUNSLOW
MIDDLESEX
TW3 2RH  
 
 
and thank you all for your messages of condolence, I know there are lots of you out there in Fiat land that will miss mum very much indeed.
 
Kirsty

I am very sorry for her.

Well -Theo ,You Broke me

Im sorry guys I know this is a terrible thread to break into -and i feel so so sad .
My Best friend ,Fiancee and finally my wife passed away on the 1st of april 2010.
We   were together for 22  years and were engaged for 16 of those years -Alas only married for 3 weeks before some Ba****d took her away from me.

We always meant to get married but work or money or house moves always prevented us from doing so.And as we had no kids (again due to natures way )it never seemed that important .In the end it was at the queen elizabeth hospital in Birmingham where we got married under special license due to the conditions.

My better Half Caroline was diagnosed with Cancer on Christmas eve 2009 .
An untreatable and un responsive strain to all modern medicine.
She fought very hard but alas to no avail. I miss her like you guys would never beleive.

She would always tell me off for 'chatting with my Fiat mates' on what she called a chatroom and winding me up cos this is a forum.

Anyway If any of you are drinking a beer anytime soon as I am( Sid Im with you a big fan of Bud ) -raise a glass to em both ,Jo and Caroline -The world is a worse place for not having them here.

Go take your Cars for the most worth while trip they will ever do !

All the best

Curt

Curt - That's a very moving posting and it was very strong of you to share it. I've never met you and only know you from your postings ...and sharp wit...but you sound like someone I'd like to know better.

Your words are very dignified in telling of your loss and it's a lovely tribute to your wife. I'm sure she is smiling kindly at your bravery from wherever she is now.

I sincerely hope that the passing of the weeks helps you get over this loss and maybe from time to time being part of small this community will help distract you from the pain. Best of luck in dealing with this challenge.

Kristy and Curt I offer both of you my sympathies

What can I say....?

Curt, I, like Kevin, have never met you but we've shared a few laughs across this forum. My sincere and heartfelt condolences to you and everyone who knew and loved 'your' Caroline.

I'd known Jo for probably 20 or so years, and she was a very loud and bubbly character within the FIAT Motor Club GB. She was enthusiastic and out going and I'm sure everyone who knew her will miss her. She and I didn't always see eye-to-eye but were friends again recently, which was nice. She was also gripped by the Big C, breast cancer I believe, and she put up a valiant fight, but like so many, to no avail.  She will be missed.

I was also informed yesterday of the passing of my mate Pete Sands. I'd not seen much of him in recent years - you know how life gets in the way - and his death has crushed me! Like Jo and Caroline, he was prematurely taken from us.

Pete was a huge Fiat fan and a great mechanic to boot. He used to MoT all of my cars back in the late '80s and taught me a great deal about the oily bits on my various 'oldies'. He was a wonderful man, with endless patience and great sense of humour. I shall miss him immensly.

I hope he won't mind me mentioning this here, but our own Theo lost his beloved Mother 10 days or so ago and dropped everything to be with his family in Cyprus for the last week, returning last Tuesday. Theo, my sincere condolences to you and your family my friend. May your Mum rest in peace.

so sorry to hear all the sad news may all rest in peace.

Sad times for you all, my deepest sympathy

deepest sympathy to all, may they rest in peace.

Thanks Guys for all your kind words.

Well the girl has done me one more favour -at times like these you go looking for any pictures you can find to remind yourself of all the good times together.

And she knew I was always looking for a picture of my old sport-and bless me if one hasnt turned up miraculously out of nowhere .I will need to get it scanned and posted but for now a picture of the woman in my life who I miss so much.

Lovely picture Curt - Do you have one of the two of you together..? :)

I would like to give you my deepest sympathy for all of you and your families.

Well Kev -thanks for asking -I have hundreds of pictures as I am sure most of us have of loved ones.You never really understand the importance of them unless 'something happens'.We were both very Camera shy so lots of scenery and places but not so many of us both together.I am having a scanner delivered tomorrow to keep a digital record of our lives together.
It is friday night and usually beer and wine and dinner would be going on with the usual bitching about work and is the weather good enough for a BBQ this weekend,and where are we going food shopping tomorrow etc.
I am not looking for sympathy by any means but I will say this to everyone out there - the old adage of 'live each day as if it your last ' is absolutely true .
I have so many regrets about things we never did together-stuff money it doesnt matter-life matters -oh so very much -you dont miss it till its gone.

Anyway enough of this -I will buy a 131 in her honour -one day when Im ready

As you can probably tell -beer is taking a big-but not huge factor -in my life -so pics you wanted  heres 3 of the best of the last happy -but sad times -of my life

My Birthday in cuba 2007

My dads 70th Birthday december 2009 Just before it all went very Bad

Just too add to this - She would bloody well kill me for posting these here
But I feel the need -Now I know she is global and she did like the 131 sport-I think -both of them -Dare I say ,she had an astra 1.8 SRI and in our younger days used to race each other home -Who won ? well thats another story
Take care guys

Curt

Happier times indeed Curt.

Good to put a face to the name... :)

Last Sunday (23/05/2010) the Fiat Motor Club (GB) had a "Jo Widdrington Memorial Event" at the RAF Museum in Hendon. The meeting featured the 500 - Jo?s favourite; she loved the old and wanted a new. Jo was passionate about all Italian cars so all Italian cars and their owners were welcome. It was a chance to meet fellow Club members and remember Jo.  Her own classic Fiat 500 was there and her daughter Kirsty created a photographic tribute to her mum using photographs of Jo brought by the attending members. I was there in the 131.