Colleen BARTON Obituary

Guy, Joshua, myself and all the Grandchildren and great grandchildren of Bart and Colleen, would like to extend an extremely gratefully thank you to everyone that was there to help, helped, visited, advised, shoulder of support, or simply been on the other end of the internet during the last few years with their care and end of life.

Jim Lyons, Phil Redman, and Annie Haig. We cannot thank any of you enough. Simply, thank you.

Kerry and Boze - Betsy´s new Mum and Dad, again thank you.

The Blackett and Barton family members that visited, rang and used social media, Thank you.

There are also those who ensured their memorial services were quintessentially them, which was very important - thank you.

There is again simply to many of you to mention separately, which shows the size of the circle of friends and acquaintances our parents and made during their years. Please accept this as a personal thank you for everything you have afforded mum and dad.

To Warren, Shelley-Ann, Josh and Guy, sending you my love and care.
To Colleen: I can´t pinpoint our first actual meeting but that doesn´t matter because it became a constant friendship from then on and did not cease.

I´m writing this on the eve of the end of daylight saving, remembering the end of a daylight saving quite a few years ago at Raumati. Mike and I had a barbecue with you and Warren at your home on Raumati Beach Road (I did a little drawing of it later, I titled it The Last Of The Summer Wine. I still have it). It was a beautiful night then, as it is tonight as I write.

We have all been through a lot together, but we got through.
We cried, we laughed and we danced - especially to Creedence Clearwater - The Midnight Special, I can hear it now as I write.

Thank you for being such a vibrant, good friend in my life. I won´t say goodbye Colleen, I´ll just say I´ll catch you later. In the meantime I´ll remember those best of times.
Lynne.

Remember the great days at the Manawatu Standard with Bart the travel writer and wine writer mostly, and Colleen supporting him at the Majestic Hotel and Brittannia Bar in between work assignments.

In memory of Colleen from Theatre days in Dannevirke during 1960s and more . Seen in Napier in recent years with fond memories of her ant Bart xx