"Forever in our hearts,
I knew you would be along,
You are part of everything,
A story dancing song,
Here I am, here you are,
Never passers by,
Now all looking up,
Together to the sky."
 
Patricia "Ann" was born in 5 Upper King Street in Wexford on 18th March 1942 to proud parents Daniel and Annie (Nan) O'Donohue (nee Lucking).
 
A humble, yet fun childhood, with Nan making clothes for the family (and others) from potato sacks and other remnants that were to hand. Resourceful, giving and strong bonds were family values that were nurtured and developed throughout her life.
 
Brothers and Sisters; Gerald, Danny, Irene, Mary and Jimmy held a HUGE place in her heart and Ann would often look after her younger siblings. This love extended to everyone that Ann met and the network of friends was really part of Ann's bigger family.
 
Ann moved to Stamford Hill in London with her Dad Danny to find work and yet as soon as Ann arrived in London she would make a bee line for the local dance halls as she really enjoyed a good dance.
 
As luck would have it there was work in Knaresborough in a local cafe and Town Hall and there she met Alan Midgley and his family that she cherished. Ann and Alan both eloped back to Basingstoke where her Dad Danny had been scouting for painting and decorating work. Ann married Alan William Midgley (also luckily a handsome Painter and Decorator) on 28th September 1963 at The Holy Ghost Church in Basingstoke with a ceremony performed by Catholic Priest Father Michael Nugent.
 
Soon later Son Paul was born on 15th July 1964 followed by Son Philip born 13th Feb 1966. They too have many stories to tell and are blessed to have the values, respect, courage and confidence that were lovingly bestowed upon them. 
 
As well as a Housewife and Mother, Ann worked in various roles from working as a Seamstress to also selling multi-vitamins (where the awards ceremonies were a great excuse to dress up).
.
In the early days a job in a London Theatre found Ann co-starring in a short interval conversation selling ice cream to actor Sir Christopher Lee. Ann also sold Finance products which lead onto co-owning her own Estate Agents. It is safe to say that Ann talked for a living and certainly enjoyed her job.

 
In 1975 Ann met her future 2nd husband John Nee a wonderful Connemara man and moved to Portsmouth to set up home with him. Their love of dancing was clear to be seen most weekends at the Portsmouth Irish club where they eventually became honorary members and established many deep rooted friendships.
 
Ann and John married in August 1977 and Ann began a varied working life. Ann’s forte was her ability to converse so easily with all she met regardless of social standing. Her warmth shone through quite naturally and her skills as a great communicator found a natural place when Ann set up an Estate Agent business with her co-partner Alice.
 
Ann was over the moon to become a grandmother “Nanny” in July 1988 when her 1st grandson Daniel Midgley was born. More than a decade later, other grand children, Hayden, Rosie and Tara, started to arrive and joined the family. A couple of years ago, Ann also became a great grandmother to Daniel’s daughter Karitas.
 
After over 25 years in the estate agent business Ann retired but was active in the social scene around Portsmouth and also loved chatting to her many neighbours down Lichfield Rd in Copnor, tending to her roses and deeply involved in the social scene of the nearby St Cuthbert’s church. 
 
Both Ann & John lived a full life travelling to Australia on more than one occasion, buying a motor home and touring all over Scotland, frequent trips to Cornwall and of course countless trips to their beloved homeland.
 
Sadly John passed away in 2010 which obviously left a huge void in Ann’s life but with family and friends support Ann continued to be her normal social bubbly self and her love knew no bounds.
 
Ann was sadly diagnosed with vascular dementia in 2017 and with a steady decline with this horrible disease Ann had to call time on the wonderful home in Lichfield Road, Copnor she had set up with her beloved John.
 
Ann moved into a warden assisted flat in Cottage Grove, Portsmouth in November 2018, where she lived for 2 years. It was quite clear living alone even within such an environment the setting was no longer suitable given her dementia journey.
Ann moved down to Newquay Cornwall in late 2020 to live with her younger son Philip. Ann loved living in her coastal apartment watching the fishing boats coming in and out of the harbour each day, saying hello to the robins that came to her window every morning. 
 
It was evident after a few months of moving to Cornwall her dementia was taking hold and that she needed more professional full time care so in March 2021 Ann moved into a dementia specialist care home in Scorrier, Cornwall.
 

 
Ann settled in well to the home and was often seen on the dance floor showing off her moves to her fellow residents. Even under the mist of dementia Ann still had an outgoing and loving character and she made a great impression on staff. Ann was often taking a role of caring for others and staff loved the smiling Irish eyes that met them each day.
 
Her 2 granddaughters Rosie & Tara had the opportunity of seeing their Nanny on a much more regular basis and along with their Dad Philip they had many incredible beach adventures and memorable lunches out and about in Cornwall. 
 
Paul and his wife Monika took regular trips to Cornwall to spend time with Ann, playing songs, telling stories and even dancing in the make shift pub that they have at the care home.
 
The care home even had a imitation of a chapel which amusingly had a pram in it and we would laugh as Ann would often say “Be good, if you can’t be good, be careful, if you can’t be careful, buy a pram”.
 
Ann continued to live her life with a beaming smile and a real positive outlook on life right up to her death on the evening of the 7th February and loved the fact she had family close by.
The final weeks of Ann's life journey saw her two boys sit by her side reading, playing music and tapping her feet to mimic a dance. There was a chance to talk and say goodbye but that leads us onto yet more stories.
 
"There are many stories to fill the gaps and family and friends have many a story to tell but this is just an introduction of a life that was beautifully lived so well. Ann would often pray to Saint Anthony (the patron saint of lost things) so we know earth has lost an angel but heaven has found bright new wings."