Mom – Liz Sobey nee Beattie was born on the 20th

March 1928

She was not born into a wealthy family. Growing up her parents often could not pay school fees or buy her a full uniform. I remember her telling me that they used to fetch broken Weetbix breakfast cereal which the local factory used to give away certain days of the week. She used to have a lovely mop of bright red hair. Dad liked redheads. She changed his life - he was going to join a whaling ship until they started going out. He used to drive from Johannesburg to Cape Town on a weekend to visit her. This was not the good tar road it is now. Dad had tales of rubber tubes over the exhaust pipe to keep the water out when fording rivers. They were married in April 1955 and had a happy life together. Mom just used to smile at Dad's joke – "You are the best wife that I have ever had". Mom liked children and they started a family soon after they were married and went on to have six children in all. Mom did not work when the children were smaller, although once we were older she started working with Dad – doing the books for his company. Looking back I must say I appreciated how she was at home to look after us. Six children is quite a handful to manage. Especially when teenagers! She was a Beattie, and one of the Beattie characteristics is that they are forthrite. You knew where you stood with Mom. Mom loved to read. I think she had full sets of Jeffery Farnol and the Western writer, Louis L'Amour. As a youngster we used to talk about the books that we had read. We were brought up in a sort of sect and it was our reading books such as The Cross and the Switchblade that made us realise that there was more to Christianity than what we were being exposed to. This probably contributed to the family ultimately leaving the group. Reading became a big problem for Mom when her eyesight started to fade. It was a big help when she started to get audio books from the library. At meal times she would tell us what was happening to the characters in the books she was listening to. Mom was 70 when she and Dad moved to the USA. She supported him in his work and often travelled with him on his business trips. We as children appreciated their loving marriage. I still remember them playing Rummikub together in the evening. She also supported Dad in the difficult years when his mental faculties started to wane. She however remained mentally sharp until the end. We love you and will miss you Mom.   Visitation will be Friday August 30 from 9am to 10am in the chapel of Kirby Funeral Services Russellville

Bro. Mike Humble officiating services at 10am with a private burial at Maple Grove Cemetery after.  Online register

book can be found at www.kirbyfuneralservices.com