Philippa was the much-loved mother to Mark, Cherry and John, daughter of Paul and Joyce, nanny to Theo and Lucy, sister to Valerie, Richard and Patrick, aunty to Amelia, Katherine, Alex, Becky and Helena and great aunty to Oscar, Milo, Jesse, Poppy and Marianne.

The eldest of four siblings, Philippa was born on 19th October in 1953 in Stoke-on-Trent to Paul and Joyce Capper. Philippa and her family moved to Leamington Spa when she was 13-years-old. Philippa attended Leamington College for Girls from 1964-1971, and then went on to study in higher education, attaining her degree at Nottingham Trent University in 1975. This was followed by an additional year of study at Shenstone Teacher Training College in Bromsgrove which awarded Philippa with her teaching qualification.

After working part-time as a waitress during her school years, Philippa followed in the footsteps of her mum and dad by devoting her life to teaching, first in Ipswich, before returning to Warwickshire to work in Roman Catholic primary schools across the area, including St Anthony's in Leamington Spa, then St Anne's RC Primary School in the early 1990's, where she stayed until retirement in 2013. 

Philippa met and married Buzz in 1979. Their eldest son, Mark, was born in 1981 followed by Cherry in 1983, then John in 1986. She became a granny - Nanny Peters - in 2005 when Cherry gave birth to Theo, followed by Lucy in 2007. Philippa helped to raise her grandchildren and, after retirement, went on to volunteer at Finham Primary School, continuing a lifetime of service to education.

Music, especially classical, was an important part in Philippa's life, and a source of great comfort and joy. She taught piano to youngsters, and played the violin very well. She was always singing, humming, or - in her final years - conducting her hands in time to music she could hear on Classic FM.

Her favourite composer was Edward Elgar, but she also adored Tchaikovsky and many others. Jacqueline Du Pre, Louis Armstrong, The Beach Boys and Patsy Cline were also among her favourites. She loved ballets, Swan Lake and The Nutcracker in particular, and The Sound of Music was a firm musical favourite. 

From an early age, Philippa loved to create - she sewed clothes from scratch, knitted cardigans, jumpers and scarfs, embroidered pictures, baked delicious cakes and puddings, and crafted cards. She made the best Boxing Day sherry trifle, and the taste of her syrup sponge puddings and pineapple upside-down cakes are sorely missed. 

Sadly, Philippa was diagnosed with young onset Alzheimer's disease in 2016, aged only 62. The Alzheimer's Society and Admiral nurses were of tremendous support to both Philippa and her daughter Cherry, who cared for her at home. Philippa regularly attended group sessions, including Singing for the Brain of which she enjoyed the most. Her highlights were the outings for tea and cake and catching the minibus to the day centre to enjoy socialising and lots of different activities.

Philippa moved into Coundon Manor Care Home in 2018 as her health declined, where she was loved, respected and well cared for by the staff. It was a true home from home, and she was able to enjoy time in the gardens, and days out in the minibus to a variety of places, including Stratford-upon-Avon Butterfly Farm and the Birmingham Sealife Centre. She persevered through the isolation of the covid-19 lockdowns, helped by window visits from her children and loved ones. She was a fighter to the last breath, slipping peacefully and pain-free to the music of Elgar's Chanson de Matin, with Mark and Cherry by her side, in the early hours of the morning on 11th January 2023.

Philippa was an inspirational and creative woman with a kind heart and gentle soul. She was much loved and respected by everyone who knew her. She was funny and thoughtful, intelligent and independent. Nothing was too much bother, and she would always go out of her way to help others. There was not an ounce of bad in her, and the inner strength demonstrated throughout her life is of great inspiration.

How lucky we are to have had that which makes saying goodbye so very hard. 

If tears could build a stairway and memories a lane, we would walk right up to Heaven and bring you back again.