Anne Black

17th August 1956 - 28th October 2006

Anne Black was born 1956, the second of six children and the oldest daughter of Jim and Mary Black. I am proud to have her as my big sister. She grew up in Germany, Glasgow, Ayr and Cumnock. I remember her as a strong willed, fun loving, mischievious girl who was always up for a laugh and tempted her sister and friends into scrapes and into trouble.
School was a chore for Anne. It held no interest for her and she wasn't averse to skipping out. But she was intelligent and when she left for Glasgow to work in the hotels, she quickly gained supervisory experience and the organisation, paperwork and accounting abilities which would serve her well later.
She moved from Glasgow and became front of house manager in hotels in London. She loved the bright lights, burned the candle at both ends and made lasting friendships. It was a good time in her life.
Anne was often let down by the men in her life. It was a recurring theme because she was usually attracted to intelligent, strong-willed, resourcefull, yet arrogant and selfish men who ultimately cared only for themselves.
The silver lining was Danielle, Anne's beautifull daughter and my niece. Anne loved her above all else and her birth prompted the first of two major changes in Anne's Life. From a fun-loving night owl, Anne transformed into a protective caring mother. Her circle of friends changed, she bought a house to provide a safe environment, and Danielle became the focus of her being. Finally, to protect her from the inner city, Anne moved back to Cumnock so Danielle could live in a safer more secure town, close to her extended family.
Anne used her book keeping skills to get a job in a local accounting firm. She was happy there and they treated her very well. Anne always loved DIY and was never happy unless she had a paint brush in her hand. She could turn her hand to anything and her houses were always immaculate and spotless. She even re-decorated the firm's premisses one year.
Anne was married twice but neither marriage lasted and she was separated at the time of her death. Toward the end of the first marriage saw the catalyst to the second major change in Anne's life.
Anne had a deeply personal religious experience and found god. She accepted Jesus into her life as her saviour, and drew a line under her old life. She went to church and found a complete new set of friends who rallied round her and gave her strength throughout the rest of her life.
Anne was diagnosed on her 49th birthday with IBC, a particularly virulent form of breast cancer. IBC only has a 40% survival rate if caught early. Anne had the chemo, radiotherapy and the surgery but the cancer was just too large and it spread to her lungs. She died Saturday 28th October 2006 with her family around her. We loved her very much and will miss her.

John Black