"Her children rise up and call her blessed." — Proverbs 31:28
We shall not cease from exploration
And the end of all our exploring
Will be to arrive where we started
And know the place for the first time.
— T.S. Eliot
My mother, Vicky Hough’s 103-year life was a journey of many chapters, fueled by a defiant resilience against hardships and revolving around the deep, loving relationships she formed.
From growing up in Radford, Coventry, as the daughter of Elsie Groves, through coming of age during the hardships of the Coventry Blitz, she possessed a rare and gentle strength. She weathered life’s storms by becoming a steady shelter for everyone around her.
As a mother, her devotion was extraordinary. She was blessed with raising two daughters, my sister Victoria and I, born 21 years apart, loving us fiercely with endless patience, warmth, and the gift of her time. She was a cherished wife to my dad Bill, manager to the Hough Brothers' singing quartet, and a beloved aunt to Maureen.
My happiest memories are our earliest days together playing music, looking after pets, and authoring kids' plays which she sat riveted watching. She encouraged creativity and intelligence, forgiving all of my mistakes with grace.
Later in life, I saw that same nurturing spirit poured into her grandchildren, Miranda and Jeffrey, and her great-nephew Harry. She was completely absorbed in their world, playing on their terms as though it was the most important task in the world because to them it was.
Being thought of as a gift, and never a burden is the great legacy. It teaches that you matter Victoria paid it back by caring for mum after dad died. I hope I am paying it forward to my children.
A condition of complete simplicity
(Costing not less than everything)
And all shall be well and
All manner of thing shall be well
When the tongues of flames are in-folded
Into the crowned knot of fire
And the fire and the rose are one. [T.S. Elliot]
Goodnight mum. Sleep in heavenly peace.
Sarah Houg
12/08/2026
