A few people suggested and requested that I put the Eulogy on this tribute page, so here it is: Good afternoon everyone, this is an unbelievable turn out and would have made Michelle very happy and very proud. I have to start today by firstly saying a massive thank you to Father Charles who has been a friend to our family and especially Michelle for the last 24 years. He married us here at St. Josephs and christened all of our children here too. He's been with us also for a few other family celebrations down the years and recently, has been especially helpful and caring to Michelle, saying Mass for her in the weeks prior to her passing and then coming to our home just a couple of weeks ago to give her the Last Sacraments. Michelle loved him dearly and once again, his presence here today would have been all that she wanted. Thanks also to the wonderful and tireless staff at the Royal Free Hospital and the Marie Curie Hospice, who looked after Michelle and cared for her so attentively to make her last few weeks comfortable and pain-free. They are an amazing group of people and their help and comfort was all that Michelle deserved. And lastly, thanks to all of you here today [and others] for your cards, letters, emails, texts and flowers. Your response has been entirely and completely overwhelming and heart-warming. Every one of you can be proud of yourselves for making our family feel very special and cared about and you've helped to ease the burden of our loss with your kind words and gestures. And so to Michelle........ Who was she? She was my dearly beloved wife, daughter to John & Esther Manley, sister to Maria, Diane [and Kathleen sadly deceased] and of course proud and loving mother to Conor, Tierney, Talulla and Ciara whom she adored and would have considered her greatest achievement in life above all else. So, how did we meet, now there's a story and maybe not for today but I'm sure somebody once said, "follow your heart, follow your dream"......so I did. I followed her from Muswell Hill Broadway to Muswell Avenue. What made me follow her home? Undeniable mesmeric beauty, poise and perfect carriage which she presented with confidence. I was hooked from the moment she walked straight past me [blind as a bat without her glasses]. Of course, many people marvel and of course question my complete loss of self-control that fateful evening in August 1989 but given how this single incident completely transformed the course of my life, I feel quite content with my momentary lapse of reason because 25 years later, she was still the most beautiful woman I have ever met, both outwardly and even more so, inwardly. She had the most beautiful smile and it normally preceded the most genuine and infectious laughter which just instantly put everyone at ease. She was kind, compassionate, selfless, caring and loving. Fun, happy, enthusiastic, hard-working, committed and incredibly capable. She had strength, fortitude, bravery and a passion for everything she did [which she apparently did at 150% according to one of her close friends and put the rest of us to shame]. She took on a series of different roles in her life, for many different employers. Dental nursing was of course one of her favourites and gave her the opportunity to look after each patient in her own inimitable way. She was on the PTA and board of governors at Coldfall Primary school for many years and then went on to be a classroom assistant at Coleridge where the children and teachers alike, loved her and found her invaluable. She made both friends and employers wonder how they ever got along previously without her by improving the quality of their lives with her fearless spirit, tenacity and yet calm poise and assured control that simply came from within. She made everyone feel special about themselves because she only ever saw the good in everyone. She was full of surprises and loved to surprise me especially, as this was her way of showing that you can't and shouldn't always try to control everything in life and should sometimes take a risk, which she did all too often!......Should we mention the pigs? Wasn't it only Michelle who would go to the absurd lengths of buying two pigs and a sty and putting them in our back garden, purely because Kiki happened to mention that she loved pigs? Then there was my 40th birthday party when I thought I was going to a nice quiet quiz night at the school hall only to find it packed with my friends and family from far and wide. And then there was the time when I arrived home one night after work to find that the tired carpeted ground floor had been completely replaced with wooden flooring! In fact, she only told me about the pregnancy with Ciara to save me thinking she was getting fat! And how did she deal with the birth?.......Darling, I'm just popping upstairs now because the midwife says I'm fully dilated and should really lie down........... 25 mins later, she'd given birth and was sitting up in bed with the Indian Takeaway menu and the only thing she struggled with that night was whether to have the Tikka Massala or the Korma!! Also, I never knew anyone who could do so much in 5" heels. "Michelle, it's the mom's egg and spoon race, are you sure about that footwear"?.........And still, of course, she won! Cooking and catering?..........Well many of you have sampled that over the years and the magnificent spreads she put on for our children's Christenings and other special events or parties which once again, she did so easily and without drama or stress, just so matter of fact and effortless.........oh and of course, once again, in 5" heels! So.....Writing this Eulogy for Michelle was fortunately not hard for me, as many of you actually composed it yourselves and I quote....... "Michelle always approached everything with such positivity. She was a very generous spirit and always very welcoming". Another said "My son was very fond of Michelle, she showed him such love and kindness". Another said "I remember many happy summer picnics in the parks of North London that she lovingly organised for us all." And a neighbour quoted "The last time I saw Michelle was outside the house. She had a black cab waiting with the meter running but all she was interested in was giving my grandson a cuddle. This is how I will remember her, glamorous as always, smiling, funny and caring, especially where children were concerned". And from another "We feel very fortunate to have known her for so long. Michelle stood for all that was good in the world. She was fun, exuberant, joyful, kind, loving, thoughtful and always willing to help others even when perhaps she was not feeling so well herself."..........And the most succinct and possibly my favourite? "She was the most generous and glamorous mum in Muswell Hill". I am the lucky one though, for she gave me more pleasure, love, companionship in 25 years than others get in a lifetime. To say she was special does not even start to tell the story! I am so proud to be standing here today as the husband of such an astonishingly popular woman. She was adored by everyone who met her, old and young, male and female. The world was a better place for having Michelle in it and there will be a mighty abyss where once her presence and light shone brightly. She is irreplaceable and will be in my heart and my children's hearts forever. She will never leave us. "Michelle...............My beloved darling wife and mother of our children, we cherish the memories and thank you for everything you did and all that you were."