Jonathan’s Vineyard Blog

23rd November 2023

It is with a heavy heart that I must inform you that our mother, June Deeley, passed away peacefully at home on 8th November, after a mercifully short battle against  cancer.

I am sure many of our regular visitors will have become familiar over the years with seeing my mother at her vineyard; it was her “happy place” and it provided her with the serenity and peacefulness which she deserved and craved.

Our mother was involved with the vineyard since its inception back in the mid 1980’s and took great pride in running the shop as though it were an extension of her home - ‘Cleanliness is next to Godliness’ would be a very suitable epitaph to her dedication in ensuring that everything was always orderly and well run.

Our mother left the cultural aspects of the vineyard to our team of contractors - although once a month she would do a ‘grand tour’ of the vines to ensure that everything was ‘spick and span’, and woe betide if the hedges and verges were not kept neat and tidy !

Our mother’s mantra was always ‘KBO’ (keep buggering on) whatever the situation in which she found herself - she had lived through evacuation during WW2 and the ensuing food rationing, which clearly left an indelible mark and made her the amazing person we will always remember.

It was fitting - and gave her immense pride - that her final year saw Godstone win a gold medal for our sparkling wine plus a record harvest in October.

Our mother will be sorely missed in so many ways - “To live in hearts we leave behind, is not to die”.

(If you would like details of our mother’s funeral, which will take place in early December, please contact me via email and I will provide you with the details.