Obituaries 2009

Obituaries
People Remembered 2009
Obituaries Index │ Fallen Heroes

Dennis William Turner 1928 - 2009
Dennis Turner was born in Radwell in 1928 and lived there for almost 79 years of his 81 year life. He was the youngest of 4 children, his sister, Mary and two brothers, John and Fred. Dennis attended Felmersham school, until the age of 14. On leaving school he initially worked for his father Robert Turner who had a small holding on the Green at Radwell. In 1951 he married Jean Stringer, they initially moved to Clapham, then to Milton Ernest and finally returning to his beloved hamlet of Radwell. On returning to Radwell they moved into the next door cottage to his mother and father, Bob and Rose. He lived there until his death. Den and Jean raised 4 children in Radwell, Valerie, Michael, Shirley and Keith and they all continue to live locally. Den left his father's small holding and worked on the farm employed by Clifton Ibbott, after which he worked for Greens where he worked on road maintenance and repairs. Finally he worked for the electronics company Texas Instruments where he remained for 20 years as one of their gardeners. This job was probably the one he really enjoyed most because his passion in life was gardening. Throughout his long life he grew most of the family vegetables, along side maintaining a beautiful flower garden. Den's vegetables always seemed to grow bigger than any body else's. That said he would say to both Valerie his daughter and Margaret his friend only to water the crops once a day in the evening. However it was only in the summer of 2009 whilst helping Den that they caught him watering at mid day as well. Perhaps this is the secret to growing larger crops, and taking numerous of the 1st, 2nd and 3rd prises from the Felmersham village show. The latest prises were taken in 2009. Both Valerie and Margaret were pleased for him, having sowed his seeds whilst getting better from surgery in February of 2009.		His other hobbies included fishing and home DIY. His speciality was stone work. He pointed up the outside of the cottage and uncovered 2 inglenooks in the cottage. The work was always completed to a professional standard, he would not accept any less. Over the years Den enjoyed many an evening at the local pubs always returning to the Swan or in the earlier years to the Sun. Where he enjoyed not only his pint but also playing both darts and skittles, and indeed often played in the pub teams. Most recently he joined the Bridgeman's Bowling Club in Harold where he played on a regular basis. Again making new friends as he always did. Dennis always had a good word for every one he new, indeed he never saw bad in anybody. The first time I met Dennis was in the snow at the Texas Instruments car park, we had been sent home early, however my Morris 1000 was blocked in by a snow drift, whilst I had shovels etc it was Den who dug me out with his tractor. This was a year before I met his daughter Valerie. The day I was taken home for the first meeting and tea it was a surprise to us both as we both said we have already met each other. Finally Den's absolute passion was for his family. His kindness and generosity to his children, grandchildren, great grand Children including his sister and son in laws was legendry and will never be forgotten. Noel Horrell - 8 January 2010	Dennis Turner - 1951

Audrey Middlemas 1927 - 2009

Audrey Middlemas (Audrey Coop) was born on the 3rd November 1927 in Fernie in the mountains of British Columbia, Canada. At the age of ten she returned to England with her mother and father and two brothers, Norman and Harold. They settled in Love Lane, Mitcham in Surrey where they lived during the early war years. She told great tales of wartime experiences, ducking from machine gun bullets in the streets and watching dog fights over London while jumping up and down on the shed roof at the bottom of the garden. When a big bomb dropped near to their home, her mother moved them to Lancashire to stay with relatives thinking they'd be safer and they settled in Blackburn.

Audrey was tall and beautiful and was very proud to be the first Philips Radio queen in 1947. She met her husband, Ronald, during the war and married him on Aug 12th 1950 in Blackburn. They set up home in Lancaster and John was born there in 1954. They moved to Bedford, where Derek was born in 1956 and Susan in 1966.

Audrey’s brothers and mother and father moved back to Canada at various times after the war. Her mother and father returned to England around 1962/63 and she and Ronald helped them settle in a cottage in Pavenham Road, Felmersham.

The family moved to Felmersham in 1968, taking on the apple orchard. Audrey ran the village post office from her kitchen and she continued as a postmistress for many years. She played a very active role in raising money for the village hall and subsequently worked as a dinner lady at Pinchmill School.

She lost both brothers, her mum, dad and her husband in a very short space of time. (Ron died in 1978.)

She was a great character and an amazing mother - very much loved and will be hugely missed by her family.

Sheina Helen Burbidge 1918 - 2009

Sheina was born on the 6 July 1918 in the manse at Gladsmuir where her Father, William Reid Wiseman, was the parish minister. Sheina went to the village school, and then as a boarder at Esdaile, the college for Ministers' daughters in Edinburgh. Sheina was one of four children and they spent many happy holidays in the house overlooking Tobermory Bay even after they had become adults. It was while at Edinburgh that she met Margaret Menzies who was to become a life-long friend.

Sheina used to describe the behaviour of the 4 Manse Children in their pew at Gladsmuir Church. They got up to all sorts of mischief, playing games etc, but under the watchful eye of their father from the pulpit. He had a withering look reserved for them when they got too bad. Sheina was baptised and confirmed at Gladsmuir Church.

Sheina's Father used to swap pulpits with the Minister of Blackwaterfoot on the Isle of Arran for the month of August every year. The Wiseman children used to spend the month running riot over the Island, playing golf, cycling, swimming etc. Her Mother, Helen, died around the time that her Father retired.

In 1940 she gained a diploma 1 at Atholl Crescent College of Domestic Science, in her final report her teaching skills were described as very promising and she was awarded 77% for housewifery. At the end of 1940 Sheina and Kenneth married at Gladsmuir Church. Three children were born to the marriage; Jackie in 1942, Bill in 1943 and Mike in 1944. Several members of the family have made reference to Sheina's great loyalty to her family and friends. For many years Ken and Sheina lived in Harrow where, as well as bringing up the family, she taught at Elliott’s Green secondary school. Sheina somehow found the time to play bridge, a passion that continued even after moving to Sharnbrook House.

In 1958/9 Ken and Sheina went to Aden where Sheina took a job teaching local children. In 1983 Ken and Sheina moved to Corn Close, Felmersham along with Mike and Gayle. After Mike's death in December 2004 she moved to Sharnbrook house in 2005, where she was well looked after by the excellent staff.

Sheina took an enormous interest in her grandchildren and great pride in the birth and development of her 6 great-grandchildren. In fact the family have seen in the last year or two that Sheina was at her most animated when sharing time with these children. A niece summed up the thoughts on Sheina by saying that she was always alert, interesting, warm and fun. She showed care and love to so many people.
Précised from the eulogy given by the Rev David Mason.

David Bruce Pickin 1935 - 2009
David was born in Bedford and was educated in Bedford schools, Mander College and Luton College while training as a draughtsman and production engineer. During his National Service he served in the RAF spending 11 months in Germany. Throughout his working life he served with various companies, Texas Instruments, British Communication Corporation in Wembley, Green Shield, British Aerospace at Stevenage and finally Hunting Engineering at Ampthill. His specialist field was Quality Assurance.		During his life David had various hobbies and interests. He enjoyed fishing, playing football, rugby (for Bedford Athletics), table tennis and he was a keen half marathon runner. Mary's keen interest in antiques led him into re-upholstering antique furniture. He enjoyed collecting paintings, particularly local scenes by local artists. He also made model aircraft. His favourite hobby was wine making and he enjoyed arranging wine tasting evenings in order to share his wines with his friends. David leaves his wife, Mary, a daughter and two grand children.

Dorothy Francis Payne 1926 - 2009

Dorothy was born in Manchester in 1926 her father and 2 brothers were in the Great war and returned unscathed. After school she worked for Kellogs and at one point wearing "clogs" which she said were surprisingly comfortable. The Second World war saw her joining the Land Army in Bedfordshire where she met Fred, her husband.

By 1957 she had 3 boys, Andy, Rob and Russell and with her husband working at Twinwoods Airport and latterly at Unilever she settled into village life in Felmersham. She saw her role as to look after her 3three sons and as a good cook provided plenty of good home produced food. Dorothy made great cakes and a Yorkshire pudding to die for.

When her boys were at secondary school she worked for a few years at Odell Leather factory. However when her husband retired early in the seventies due to ill health, Dorothy also retired. They had a pleasant lifestyle together with frequent trips around England until Fred developed cancer and died just before Christmas, 1983.

Dorothy was happiest when helping other people. She developed a fine social life and with her two friends Vi Bell and Joyce Franklin went on numerous trips and holidays. She visited Australia at the invitation of Andy's wife, Margo and her family spending 6 weeks in Sydney and the Gold Coast. Staying with Margo's sister Shannon. She travelled with Rob's wife Jo to Malta visiting the place where Fred had been in the war.

With developing dementia she spent her last four years at Rivermead Home, Kempston where she was splendidly looked after by Peter Hodges and his fine team. She was very happy and comfortable there and her end was peaceful.
A précised version of the eulogy given by a her son, Andrew

Richard Mark Holbourn 7 December 1984 to 7 August 2009

Richard was the son of Mark and Gail Holbourn and older brother to Elizabeth.
He was born in Bedford Hospital and lived in Great Barford, then Bedford, before moving to Felmersham when he was 11 years old.
He attended Sharnbrook Upper School until he was 17 and then trained as a chef for nearly 2 years at the Queens Head Hotel in Milton Ernest.
He worked at Nichols Brasserie in Bedford before eventually moving to The Plough at Bolnhurst for a year, where he developed a real passion for his trade.

In January 2007 he went to work at The Point Restaurant in Melbourne, Australia, where he worked until his tragic and untimely death at the age of 24.

Richard was a keen fisherman and his enjoyment for time on the riverbank was only superceded by his love of work as a chef and spending time with his friends. He was gifted and creative with a great career ahead of him that will unfortunately never be fulfilled. His sense of humour and fun made him great company and he is sadly missed by all who knew and loved him.

A memorial 'Group' for Richard with photographs and tributes from friends and family is on Facebook: 'Richard Holbourn 1984-2009.'
Mark and Gail Holbourn

Phyllis Gershon - 2009
Phyllis Gershon was a county councillor for Harrold and a governor of Sharnbrook Upper School and had lived in Felmersham for 40 years. She was born in Manchester, the youngest of four. She had two brothers and a sister and the family unit was a fun loving, warm and highly talented group where traditional jazz and classical concert piano music were played at professional standard. She was a proficient party pianist and ukulele player, enjoying the fun atmosphere which both created. From an early age she was a beaming tomboy and delighted in denting many male egos by her knowledge and practical skills on car and motorbike engines. She passed her driving test just after her seventeenth birthday and cited that achievement as the one she most treasured in establishing her lifetime independence. After school she modelled Jaeger clothing for a short period for a large department store and then joined the Women’s Voluntary Service (WVS) for the war years. She was chosen to be a chauffeuse for a director of the Post Office, having to navigate around the country at a time when road signs had been taken down (for wartime reasons). In 1946, the WVS sent her to Naples in Italy where she met her husband, who was on leave from the British Military Mission in Athens. She followed him to Athens, where they married and entered her domestic phase in life, being the wife of an army officer on short postings to various places in UK and Germany.
On return to Hythe in Kent, she became a Territorial Army Officer in The Royal Signals where she enjoyed bleak hilltops and even erecting large aerial masts with her team. In 1968 Phil moved to Felmersham with her husband, who worked for Aston Martin in Newport Pagnell. She joined the Conservative Party and in May 1977 she became a Bedfordshire County Councillor. She represented Kempston for four years and Harrold Division for twenty eight years. Unbroken service for nearly 32 years until her passing away. At an early age, she developed the qualities necessary to see her through this career. Her philosophy was not to wait for the storm to pass, but to learn to dance in the rain. She had amazing reserves of energy and enthusiasm. She was a woman of great integrity, strong principles and commitment. A Grand Lady who refused to experience old age. She drove her beloved car on the day of her heart attack. It was clean and gleaming in its garage. A fun loving character worth knowing and someone who set an excellent example of how to lead life to the full; then go the extra mile. A précised version of the Eulogy given by a her son, Nigel Gershon.

Anthony Mathew fforde 1933 - 2009

Tony was the husband of Pam fforde, St Mary's church organist.

Kath Morrissey 1937 - 2009

Born December 1937 in Felmersham she married Tommy Morrissey in 1956 and moved to Yardley Hastings in 1967 returning to Felmersham in 2002.

She had three children: Kit (Kathleen), Denis and Matthew and 4 grandchildren Thomas (20), Joseph (16), Jake (3) and Liam (2).
The single most important thing in her life was her family and nothing gave her greater pleasure than being with her children and grandchildren. She was known as `Ma' to all her grandchildren. She was at her best when they all crammed into her little cottage at Christmas or New Year for a Sunday Roast.

Before she retired and left Yardley Hastings, she was the village post lady for about 14 years. The affection for which people held for her was evidenced by the number of gifts she got every Christmas. The family mostly remember she would routinely fall off her bicycle at least every other month during the icy winter months and be covered in bruises - but she loved the job.

One of her last holidays before she became ill was in France with the family when they managed to take her to Uncle Horace's memorial on The Somme. As a keen genealogist, she carried on the work of her cousin Edith by researching her family tree and was always determined to see where her father fought during the Great War. It will be a day they will always remember as they walked across the battlefields and cemeteries thinking of her Dad and Uncle.

Kath loved the countryside and enjoyed nothing better than taking her dog - Bonnie - for very long walks or visiting Church Stretton in Shropshire with the family. When she moved back to Felmersham she was desperate to get a dog to give her an excuse to walk the fields of her childhood. She also wanted to be back near her sister and friends of many years as well as revive memories of her childhood.

She was a member of the Felmersham Women's Institute and before that was a member of a Ladies Group in Yardley Hastings - both of which she enjoyed, especially for the chance of a good natter. She will be greatly missed by all her family.

Geertruida Geziena Boyce (Truus) 1923 - 2009

Truss was born in Deventer, Holland in 1923. She met her husband, Ken, in Singapore where they stayed for 14 years. They returned to England in 1960 and lived in Solihull with their two children moving to Cheshire in the late 1960s. In the late seventies one of her children died and 3 years later her husband also died. In the late 80s she moved to Felmersham to be near her daughter and two grandchildren.

In 2008 Truus discovered she had a half brother in Australia who, with his wife, recently visited Truus and her family.

Truus integrated into village life and regularly attended church, she was a member of several local bridge clubs as well as the WI.

The photo shows Truus opening the Margaret Alleway Garden in 2007. Margaret and Truus were close friends.

If you wish, you can record the death of someone dear to you by writing a short obituary for insertion into this section. The person may have died some years ago, the only qualification is that they must have spent some of their life living in the parish of Felmersham or Radwell.