Locals mourn queen's passing

Pat Grah cried most of Thursday.

She loved the queen.

"I'm devastated," Grah said Friday from her store, Penny Lane, on Clovis' Main Street. "I cried all yesterday. I'm stunned and shaken. It doesn't seem real."

Grah, from Sunderland on the northeast coast of England about 50 or 60 miles from Scotland, has been in the U.S. since 1973, in Clovis since 1984. She remained visibly upset Friday when asked about the passing of Queen Elizabeth II, who died Thursday at age 96.

"Presidents come and go," Grah said. "Monarchs last. Seventy years a queen. She was crowned in 1952."

Grah is among hundreds of area residents with roots in the United Kingdom, many through ties at Cannon Air Force Base, which flew F-111 fighter jets with support from the Royal Air Force at Lakenheath in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s

Claire Burroughes, Clovis' assistant city manager, came to the United States from the Suffolk village of Chediston before the first Gulf War.

"I am extremely sad," she said Thursday. "It's a tremendous loss for the country of an outstanding, timeless, compassionate and gracious queen. She has been an exemplary leader and will be much missed."

Rosemary Metcalf, who runs an alpaca ranch southwest of Clovis, arrived in the United States in 1992 from Stevenage, Hertfordshire, England.

Metcalf said the world lost a remarkable human being.

"I doubt we will ever see anyone like her again in our lifetimes," Metcalf said. "The queen's service and dedication to her country and her people is unrivaled."

"Her passing brings feelings of grief as if a dear family member has passed away," Metcalf said. "I am grateful to have lived during her reign."

Mike Summer, a local radio personality, has lived in the U.S. for 22 years. He's from Manchester, England.

Summer shared his thoughts on the death of the royal monarch in an interview via Facebook Messenger.

"The Queen, to me, was like the mother of the nation," Summer wrote.  "She was a great lady who performed her duties with great dignity no matter what."

Summer wrote of the time during World War II where she refused to leave London while it was being bombed. By staying in London she set a good example to the people, he wrote.

He also appreciated, "Her annual Christmas speeches where her words and insight made everyone want to tune in to gain comfort and acknowledge she was aware of the world they lived in with all of its promise and triumphs," Summer wrote.

Summer said during that time the queen was part of everyone's family and the one you looked to for strength and wisdom in times of need.

"In the end," Summer wrote, "It matters not if you like or see the need for the Royals ... because she had a long life and dealt with everything it threw at her."

Clovis Realtor Gaye Cooke came to the United States in 1983 from the Norfolk village of Shipdham.

Cooke said Queen Elizabeth ll was a beloved and admired lady, who lived a full life.

"As queen she served the people, her country, and the Commonwealth well all the way until the end of her life," Cooke said.

Cooke said the Queen was always visible, in good times and especially during tough times to raise spirits and rally people together.

"I loved her sense of duty, tradition, grace, pride, and even sense of humor," Cooke said.

"A steadfast presence," Cooke said.  "It is the end of an era, and she will be very missed."