The last labour of love of a 44-year-old mother-of-three from Dundee will be displayed proudly at her funeral next week.
When she was diagnosed with cancer last year, talented amateur artist Karen Cruickshank wanted to leave a special tribute to her family husband Stephen and children Stephen (17), Janette (16) and Jason (5) so she embarked on a family portrait.
Now the result of her efforts will be exhibited and featured on the order of service at the celebration of her life.
Former neighbours, who have since moved to Aberdeen, had heard of Karen’s plan and enlisted local painters Angus MacDonald and Liz Yule to help her.
Mr MacDonald said, “It was a very special privilege for Liz Yule and myself to be able to help Karen in the last few weeks of her life, and to advise her regarding painting a portrait of her family as a very individual tribute to them.
“We immediately recognised that she had an innate talent and the determination to succeed, despite great suffering bravely borne.”
He added, “Liz and I felt that we gained much more than we gave from a wonderful person.”
Karen, of The Poplars, was a former Morgan Academy pupil and held down a number of cleaning jobs as well as studying for a childcare qualification at Dundee College.
Friend Linda Groves, who helped care for Karen in the later stages of her illness, said, “She was always working very hard and made lots of friends.”Love of buttercupsDespite being told in August that she could have as little as two weeks left, Karen “defied everybody” to have a last Christmas with friends and family, Linda went on.
Praising her friend’s courage and sense of humour, she said Karen had made all the arrangements for her funeral in advance and had even managed to joke about it.
Even near the end, she was thinking of others and asked for a collection in aid of Tayside Children with Cancer and Leukaemia.
She asked everyone attending the service to wear or carry something yellow, as a mark of friendship.
Karen’s mother, Rosemary Hutchison, said, “Yellow was always her favourite colour.
“Every time she saw something yellow, she wanted to pick it up.
“When she was a wee girl, she used to make daisy chains with buttercups and if I tied her hair in ringlets it always had to be a yellow ribbon.”
Karen is also survived by her father William, brother Billy and sister Mary.
Photo used under Creative Commons licence courtesy of Flickr user Photography_Gal.