Derbyshire resident honoured in new business launch

Mary Buteux moved to Buxton in the early 1970s and became a much loved neighbour, energetic fund raiser and supporter of many causes in the local community, particularly Harpur Hill where she lived for 48 years.

Sadly Mary passed away during the Covid pandemic after a long illness. Her extended family and friends had been unable to visit her for over a year due to Covid travel restrictions and her treatment schedule, which left her very vulnerable to infection.

At her funeral in February 2021, due to the Covid restrictions in place, only 30 people were allowed to come together to say goodbye and celebrate her life.

"My mum was the centre of our large extended family" explained Mary's daughter Helen (52).

"Those who loved her lived in England, Ireland, Holland, Canada and & many other parts of the world. It was so heart-breaking after she died for us to not be together, to talk, laugh, cry and remember everything that was amazing about her. Something very important was missing."

Even though Covid restrictions no longer apply, families are still often separated by distance, the cost of travel and other circumstances that mean they can't all come together after a death.

In memory of Mary, Helen has recently created and launched an online service that aims to bridge this gap.

www.theforeverloved.com is a memorial website where anyone can set up a special memorial "space" to honour the person who has died. An invitation is then sent to family, friends, work colleagues, neighbours and others to add their own stories, tributes and upload photos onto the memorial site.

It acts like a personal treasure chest of memories which everyone participating can view, enjoy and find comfort in.

"The sharing of life stories is common to almost all cultures around the world and plays an important part in both grieving and healing. We have always been a close family with many long forgotten stories resurfacing during our family gatherings, so this was something we missed very deeply when mum died. I really hope that my site helps families to find joy in the hardest of times, remembering together the best of times."