28/10/2026
Dorothy proposed to Douglas.
They had met in 1970, and after two years she decided she had waited long enough.
They went on to spend more than 51 years together.
Their life was full of the things that make up a marriage — family, holidays, dogs, Friday night fish and chips, and the stories that gather over decades of knowing someone so well.
When Dorothy died in 2024, Douglas had to begin finding his way through life without the person who had been beside him for most of it.
Through our Bereavement Service, he met Sophie.
“Sophie has been a godsend and kept me together. She listened, looked at photos with me and I felt heard.”
Our Bereavement Service gives people space to talk openly about what has happened, at their own pace, with someone who understands how different grief can look from one person to the next.
When Douglas talks about Dorothy, it is about the whole life they shared — the places they went, the routines they had, the things that made them laugh, and the person she was.
There is a lot of love in those stories — and plenty of Dorothy’s character too.
