Chris Foreman 30 May 1956 – 6 January 2024

Celia Pethick

Mum, Chris, nana or nanny but never Christine! For those of you that don’t know me I’m Celia, I’m Chris’s daughter that she never gave birth to. I’ve been apart of the Foreman family for 3 decades and I’m honoured to be here today to celebrate the life of the woman we all love. What can I say, Chris was the dogs body, the sticky glue holding people together, the keeper of all things special and the crazy Christmas lady that turned the front of her house into magic for so many years. Chris was always one of the first people to offer her assistance and never backed down from a good fight. She held the people she loved close to her heart and would give them everything she had including the shirt off her back. Her favourite colour was red, she had to have just 1 sparkle nail on each hand, she loved her animals and her kids equally, she loves a Paul’s light iced coffee and a glass of wine with a cigarette in the pool. Growing up alongside this family I saw and experienced, traveled and shared, loved and now cherish so many moments that it’s hard just to recap a few. One of my earliest memories of Chris was that she was always working, much like Garry. She would drop Lisa and Dave off to ballroom dancing on a Friday night at about 6:00, we’d finish at approx 9:30-10 and we’d head to the largest shopping centre Darwin had and would start packing the shelves, rotating stock and constructing product displays before heading home for a quick swim and bed which was normally well after midnight. Before you all ask, yes we thought it was fun and we all just got in and got the job done. Now we know it was just child aka slave labour Chris quickly become involved in the dancing community and made amazing hamburgers next to my dad in the kitchen week after week. They would often prepare and cook for large dance competitions which at times I’m sure was a thankless job however she did it for the love of her kids and the great community of people. It was during this time Chris and my mum Antoinette formed a unique and unbreakable connection. Mum and Chris’s contact reduced for a few years due to the Foreman’s relocation to Victoria however we made a surprise visit for Chris’s 50th birthday. I can’t quite remember if Chris knew I was coming but she had no idea about my mum who we hid around the corner as Chris walked in. I recall the strength of her hug as she embraced my arrival but the best was yet to come. When she realised my mum was also here she fell to her knees crying at the end of the hallway. I’d never seen either of them so happy, their bond was stronger than ever. We’ve seen and experienced a lot of important milestones together, family dinners, dance competitions, pool fights (thanks Dave), high school graduations, engagement parties, birthdays, weddings, birth of grandkids just to name a few. I know you won’t miss out on anything moving forward, you’ll always be in our thoughts, hearts and memories. You always be forever 67