3:39pm Thursday 3rd July 2008
By Rachel Hickman
TRIBUTES have been paid to a former Netherton landlady who died of lung cancer just five months after being diagnosed.
Elaine Gricic was the landlady of The Golden Cross in Cradley Road before she moved to run The Queensbury pub in Stourbridge nearly five years ago.
The “lively” 51 year old only thought she had a chest infection but was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer in January.
She was given 12 months to live,but bravely fought the disease for five months, passing away on June 17 in Bronglais District General Hospital in Aberystwyth.
Her cousin, Ceri Green, described Elaine as “someone you heard before she came into the room”.
Ceri said: “She was very lively and full of life. She was so friendly and mixed with everybody.
“She always wanted to run her own pub and she lived out that dream by running two.”
After leaving The Queensbury, Elaine, who has two children - Toni and Terri - moved to Spain for nine months but came back after missing her family, especially her grandchildren, Taylor-J and Robert.
On returning to the UK, Elaine and her husband George moved to Borth in Wales, where they quickly settled into the community, organising fetes, parades and floats for the local children.
Despite her illness, Elaine continued to fight back and even took her young granddaughter Taylor-J into her home.
Ceri said: “I think there was a bit of a traveller in Elaine as she didn’t keep still but she had settled in Borth.
“She put up such a fight to the cancer and fought it to the end with dignity and pride.
“She is such a loss to everyone, she made such an impact on everyone.
“We didn’t think her death would come this quick but it was the right time as she was in a lot of pain.”
Her funeral was held at Stourbridge Crematorium on June 27, with people travelling from all over the country to pay their last respects.
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