Wendy Tunnell

Sadly Wendy is no longer with us. She died in September suddenly, but peacefully, at her home near Edinburgh. She was too young to die.

Coll will be a different place without her, and indeed without John, who died ten years ago. Her connections with Coll go back for a long time, with many friends, both island dwellers and summer swallows.

Coll was always a magical place for Wendy and John. To arrive on the Calmac boat, whether it was the old Claymore or the Lord of the Isles, to see old friends there on the pier, and then up to the wee caravan, the 'Blue Bird', by Torastan. She came to Coll to refresh the soul, away for a while from her busy world of music. This magic existed for her right from the early days of family holidays with John and the Tunnell family, later with their own children, her mother, father, sister and her brother's family. She always radiated happiness when she arrived because Coll was really home for her, even though she didn't live here permanently.

She loved the walks and picnics and 'get-togethers' boating with John, eating the lobsters and mackerel he caught. So many other things she loved, the flowers, the rabbits and hares, the visits to the village and to the hotel for a chat and a meal, the walks on the machair and on sandy beaches collecting shells, the Coll Show, often winning prizes for her wild flower collection.

We first met Wendy and John and the family in the early seventies, and they all quickly became valued friends. Our children and theirs were all of an age together and there were many happy times.

And then she lost John in 1988. Returning to Coll in the following summer with John's mother, Mary, must have been a harrowing time for them both. Wendy overcame this bravely with the support of all her family and friends and Coll remained the magical place for her.

She then started a new life for herself with great determination and success with the 'John Tunnell Trust' and the 'Young Musician's Trust'. Both were a tribute to her energy, enthusiasm and bravery.

The purchase of the bothy in 1992 with Kenneth was an adventure she adored, it became a haven for all the family with huge dinners and long chats and a lot of fun.

The mainstays of her life were the activities and achievements of her three children John, Pippa and Wil. She was so proud of them and happy at the prospect of Wil's and Juliette's marriage on Coll later this year. The wedding will be a celebration of both John's and Wendy's lives, an accumulation of everything they both held close to their hearts. We shall all celebrate with them.

One of our last memories of Wendy was a boat trip from Breachacha to Soa, on a beautiful sunny August evening last year. She sat in the front of the boat getting a little wet from the spray. The sun was glinting on her beautiful golden hair and she smiled back. She was happy and so were we to see her thus. We shall treasure this memory of Wendy.

Chris and Tessa Facey