I was born on December 24, 1937, in Goole, England. Two months
later, my father died at the age of 33, leaving a widow and six children. Since there were no pensions or Social Security, all non-essential furniture was sold. Four little children didn’t need chairs, so we kept one chair and a horse-hair sofa. We lived in a two-up/two-down house with no electricity or
bathroom. When the war started in 1939, my seaport hometown was bombed a lot. When the windows shattered, we put up sheets of wood and lived in a cold house. I remember being hungry most of the time, but eventually the war ended and we survived. I never missed a father because most of the men in Goole were on ships and when a ship went down, a whole street would be full of fatherless children. I was lucky in not knowing we were poor. Everyone around us was in the same situation. When I was 11,
I took a test and was admitted to a prestigious school. My mother cried because I needed uniforms and books, but she applied for help and we got the bare minimum. I learnt quickly and did well. I decided to be a nurse and went into training. We worked 60-hour weeks. I received my nursing degree and met my husband, Ray Crudo, an American working in the UK. We moved to Detroit and eventually to the West Coast. We came to Sun City and became snowbirds in 1999. As we were driving on Bell Road, we saw a little sign pointing to All Saints of the Desert and I’ve been attending ever since. I was warmly welcomed and have had many opportunities to serve.Now I am in the autumn of my life. Words can never express how I feel about the love and support that Ray and I received from this church.
