Lilian Elaine “Elaine” Paxton 19 June, 1930 – 17 March, 2024

John Barclay

1 John 4:9-12 is a fitting reminder of Elaine – Auntie Elaine, who I first remember meeting in Canterbury in 1963, shortly before Michael was born. I was nearly nine years old, but even then, she made an indelibly positive impression on me. The Divine love that the Apostle John writes about extensively in his Gospel and in his three letters, was abundantly evident in Elaine. It flowed out of her to everyone – to her immediate family and her extended family, to her church family and friends, to the Kew Baptist Hostel family (where Janine first met Elaine) - indeed to all and sundry who had the privilege and joy of knowing Elaine. This love was so clearly demonstrated through Elaine’s gift of hospitality which was lavished on us in our regular family gatherings and on many other occasions in other contexts. Elaine’s love embraced all, regardless of one’s status or circumstances in life. ‘Winsome’ is a rather old-fashioned and rarely used word that comes to mind when I think of Elaine. It epitomises her - she was a winsome person. The word winsome is derived from the old English word ‘wynn’ which means pleasure or delight – a winsome person is one who delights in others and who generates a sense of delight and pleasure in others. A winsome person exhibits and exudes a blend of gracious speech and a loving demeanor characterized by joy, wisdom, faith and trust, a sure and steadfast hope without compromising on the truth and personal convictions, and always conveyed through compassion that always seeks the best for every person. (Repeat.) And the remarkable thing about Elaine is that in my experience, and I would be surprised to find anyone who would disagree, this winsome nature was incessant and permanent. I cannot recall a moment when Elaine was not winsome. I believe each of us here today, and countless others who were touched and influenced by Elaine, could recount numerous examples of her winsomeness – and we will have opportunities to share those after the service and in coming days. Those instances will not be forgotten. Elaine’s winsomeness will not be forgotten. To return to the words of the reading, Elaine knew God’s love personally and this love overflowed to us all – in abundance. ‘No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another God lives in us, and his love is made complete in us.’