In memory of Mary Saunders
(28/4/1935 – 26/1/2021) - by husband Mike
Mary was a quiet but well-loved lady within the club where we had been members since 1973, at which time the club premises were in Homewell House near St Faith’s in Havant
In our earlier years as members we spent many happy Saturday evenings and Sunday lunchtimes at Denvilles House after the club moved there. But as time went on we spent less time there at week-ends, being more content to enjoy the quieter events such as Dave Bruce’s ‘Opera Evenings’ on Mondays and the Friday afternoon film shows. We also supported the Thursday Quizzes, at which Mary came out of her shell and showed her surprisingly wide general knowledge to good effect. In later years we enjoyed the club outings and holidays on numerous occasions.
In her working life in London Mary had been a private secretary in what was then called ‘The Colonial and Commonwealth Office’’ off Downing Street, a position she held until the first of our two children was born.
We were both Londoners and moved to Havant in 1969. since which time we had come to consider ourselves less as ‘GROCKLES’ and more as ‘adopted locals’, as a result of having made so many good friends here.
Mary had enjoyed good health until her early 80s when she started to suffer some ill effects, notably ‘BriIttle-bone disease’, COPD, and more recently Early-stage Alzheimer’s, which she bore with her typical stoicism. As she needed more care our son Tom moved down from Cumbria to help me with Mary’s needs, which lifted her spirits no-end.
On 26th January 2021, at the age of 85, she finally succumbed to her numerous ailments, and died peacefully in her sleep in QA hospital with me and Tom each holding a hand as she slipped away, only a bare two months short of our 65th Wedding Anniversary.
The death certificate recorded Pneumonia, COPD, and Alzheimer’s as causes of death.
Mary will be sorely missed not only by her family, but by her many friends in the Denvilles Club and elsewhere.