Kathy Glover, What a Woman

Kathleen June Glover, or Kath or Kathy as she was called by her friends, sadly passed away with cancer at the end of last year.  She was my friend and Pastor at the Pentecostal Holiness Church in Southmead for many years.  I wanted to pay tribute for the lovely, caring person she was and to acknowledge how liked and loved she was in our community.

Kathy was born and bred in Southmead and lived on Ashburton Road with her family, the Felthams.  She attended Doncaster Road Junior School (now Badock’s Wood) and then Pen Park School.  When she married Dave they lived in one of the flats on the Post Office side, and then on to a house in Doncaster Road near to her old school – from where she could remember all the names of her classmates and could tell you who belonged to what family.  Kathy knew so many people and so was a real Southmeadian in every sense of the word.

Kathy was on many different committees over the years working hard for the community: the Southmead Community Plan; the Southmead Forum; Bristol Parks; as well as those of the different groups and churches.  She was devoted to the people of Southmead, alongside her beloved husband David, doing Sunday school, youth clubs and camps, as well as Christmas parties (which she loved), and even going as far as to do fancy dress on occasions!  Even though they had great fun with the kids at camp – on the beach, cooking, and sneaking in to bedrooms putting foam on the pillows for kids faces to fall into! – they were always there to listen to any problems the young people had, always being sensitive to each of their needs.

Kathy and Dave always said they would not want to live or work anywhere else but Southmead, and Kathy was always there for everyone and anyone.  Many a time after church I would discuss my own personal concerns with her, knowing it was in full confidence.  If anyone needed a lift or shopping she would be there for them, and if she couldn’t be there physically she would always be on the phone asking how things were. 

Kathy was Pastor Dave’s support for many years, not only as his Wife and Carer, but also supporting him in church as Sunday school teacher, youth worker and preacher.  She was officially commissioned as Pastor on 3rd April 2017 already having taken the lead when Dave passed away.  “Pastor Kathy is a tried ‘n’ true good ‘n’ proven shepherd”, it was said, “and a very good pastor”.  She did so many funerals these past two years, sadly, of which the families concerned will be forever grateful.  She always wanted to do a wedding but that wasn’t to be.

After Dave passed Kathy decided to take herself off abroad for some holidays by herself – a brave thing to do if you ask me.  But she loved it, and loved to go sea swimming at which she was brilliant.

Kathy has two children, Pete and Emmalee, and three grandsons who she loved very much, as well as an older brother, Roger.  Her older sister Evelyn sent this tribute for her: “My sister Kath lost her battle with cancer.  She was courageous until the end when she slipped away.  Her loyalty to the community was inspiring and I know she will be sorely missed by many.  I am privileged to have shared this last journey with her and she will always be with me and the many people who loved her”.

There have been hundreds of tributes to Kathy, I had around a hundred and fifty comments on my Facebook page.  But the amount of people at her funeral said it all. The church was overflowing, with people standing, and if everyone could have turned up the queue would have been past Iceland.  Her friends and family at church will miss her so much and it will take someone very special to take her place.

Kathy, now with your beloved Dave and your Precious Lord, thank you my dearest friend for being with myself and family all these years, we miss you so much already.

Sheila xx

Thank you to Sheila for writing about Kathy for The Mead.
To celebrate International Women’s Day, join us in raising a
cuppa to Kathy on Thursday 9th March at Coffee Morning,
10-12pm in Community Corner at the Greenway Centre.