Roberta PAGE Obituary

Dear nana,
What a couple of weeks it´s been. Confusing, emotional, hectic. Where do we go from here? I´m glad you got your final days at home, I couldn´t imagine spending them with Gertrude down the hall, bellowing at ghosts at all hours. As you said, "you´d rather have a pillow shoved on your face". When I told you about a gastro bug going around, you replied, "there´s always enough for me to have some", good lord nana ha-ha. You always did have that witty and morbid sense of humor jump out when I least expected it. I´m sad I won´t get to know you more, it felt like we were finally making some real traction without the chaotic background noise that never seemed to quieten down.
Pieces of you live on in all of us. Our experiences and relationships with you were all quite unique and contain all of the raw human pieces that have made us, us. For better or worse, one way or another, you will live on. I´ve learnt from you, I will landscape the parts to continue, and perhaps prune the parts not to. Your family loved you, even if sometimes it hurt them to, even if sometimes they couldn´t, even if it didn´t seem so. Family roles are strong unless challenged, aren´t they? We all have a part of us missing now, no matter which role we were assigned, and we have our own path to work through. But you were strong, and we will be strong to.
You were an avid Gardiner, you never realized how much. No, it wasn´t common to know as much as you did, and to that level. I´m sorry you never got to feel proud of how talented you were at these things. I suppose it´s the kiwi way, isn´t it?
Your writing was nothing less than pure art, with the strokes so perfected and delicate you could´ve sworn it was Victorian style print. Gifts were your `love language´, and oh boy did we know it, ha-ha! Your gift-wrapping skill, I always admired. I could never get to that level of precision. It´s but a small part to make occasions special that you would do. You basically never forgot a birthday. I was always so impressed how you never forgot, with the busyness of life or the struggle with technology as barriers, you still managed to hold that self standard. I may have limited resources, but I´m rich with my beautiful girls, a nice warm house, food on the table and even enough for coffee! I´m going to keep feeling grateful, and to never quit.
I appreciated your final efforts to allow me into your world, and your beautiful words to my youngest child. I will treasure that. I know you tried towards the end and realized that maybe things weren´t always as they seemed. Better late than never I suppose. There´s absolutely no doubt the commitment that you had to your family, for better or worse
Finally, in the spirit of not yacking on for too long, (I know how much you loved sentimental nonsense, ha), how could I possibly summarize 84 years of life? It´s a complicated, multilayered environment. I don´t know or have any particular beliefs about the afterlife, so I can only hope and imagine. I hope there is one. I hope you´ve been reunited with granddad; I hope you´re free from pain and ailments, I hope you feel peace, and I hope our family find their own peace, in their own ways and in their own times. I´d like to imagine you in a swing chair, in a beautiful and vivid field of lavender, basking in the dusk sunshine, with bright pink and orange hues in the sky. Birds singing into the airwaves of a warm and calm summer breeze, touching your senses in every angle in smell, sight, and a clean deep breath, holding granddad´s hand firmly as to say that you never let him go.
I love you nana, here is my final goodbye. I´m sorry you didn´t get to read it. I will leave it to preserve in the press so you can never be forgotten.


Kind regards, your only granddaughter, and your great granddaughters,



Charlotte.

my mother. Shes been here everyday of my life. When I was young she taught me how to knit, how to cook , and how to clean. The cooking and cleaning paid off in employment for me. I learnt alot about flowers and she loved her garden too. I think over the last couple of years she was lonely. Most of her friends had passed and i feel she lost a bit of her "light". Early in January 2023 she was admitted to hospital and the old her came back. We took her home everyday, and outside for a coffee where she talked to the pet rabbit but sadly when she permantly returned home, things went downhill. Im pleased she was at home because she loved her home, but Im sad i didnt see her prior to her deterioting so fast. Grandmother to will and charlotte and great grandmother to chloe, amelia and the new piper whom she knew of but hadnt met RIP mum and say hi to my jamie if you see him

I know from what William has said in the past, his nana was dearly loved and will be sadly missed. Always think of her smile beaming and being pleased to see you. She will never be far from you.

Bobbi was a beautiful lady, only got to meet her once; Rest in Eternal Peace.

Memory I wouldn´t know where to begin! Probably countless thousands of hours spread over 37 years right from when I was a baby until now.

Most favorite memories I have is spending time with her at the polytechnic during the 90s. Our 2014 trip to the US and UK. She had a strong passion for gardening, calligraphy, pen collecting and cooking. She passed on thousands of ideas to the ones closest to her. She could also be witty, charismatic, fun loving and her absence has left a massive hole in me

RIP nana, one day we shall meet again soon x

William Boreham

So shocked to read of Roberta's death. I am glad that I had a long conversation with her earlier this year.
Rest in Peace.