21 January 1930 to 20 February 2019

Audrey, as many of you will know, was an incredibly kind and selfless person. As a young working woman she went without lunch everyday until she had saved enough money to take her parents on a week’s holiday to Blackpool.

She spent her working life as a secretary, eventually retiring from being the personal assistant to the deputy director of Social Services.

Her love of the church meant that alongside her working life, she spent many hours as church secretary at Central Methodist Church in Preston for Tom Jenkinson and his successors. A natural progression meant that she became secretary to Michael Wearing during his time as Chairman of the District and of course latterly she and her husband both worshipped here at Fulwood. After her husband passed away in 2001, she surprised everyone with her strength and resilience. She played the piano for the Women’s Fellowship, took her turn on the church rota at RPH on the Welcome Desk, sang in the choir, was a Communion Steward and a Pastoral Visitor.

Audrey was incredibly proud of her daughter Gill, two wonderful grand- children and her great grandson Zachary. She will be sadly missed.

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29 July 1925 to 27 December 2018

Born in Bolton as Margaret Smith, but as a child she was called Peggy. One or two still called her Peggy, but everyone else knew her as Peg.

As a child Margaret lived in places such as Blacon near Chester, Newcastle and Orpington. She passed her 11+ while at school in London in 1936 and won a place at Chiswick County High School, only to be told that the family were moving to Silloth in Cumbria. Relocation to Blackpool followed, where her dad was working on the Derby Baths and promenade. After that there was a move to Ireland where she lived for a time in Limerick and Dublin.

Limerick was also where Peg’s love of music was nurtured. Her music teacher at school recognised that she had a good soprano voice and encouraged Margaret to express her love of music through singing. He gave her voice tuition after school and encouraged her to apply to join the Dublin Operatic Society which she did in 1941. Unfortunately she was unable to take up the place.

She joined the WRNS and was accepted for training on 20th May, 1943 at HMS Eaglet, a naval land base in Birkenhead. It was at HMS Eaglet that Peg met her husband-to-be, Hugh. HMS Eaglet also provided an opportunity for Peg to appear on stage, sometimes with Hugh, who had been a choir boy in his youth.

By the end of the war Peg’s parents had decided to settle on Merseyside and rented a house in Wallasey. Peg was confirmed on 1st July 1945 at the Presbyterian Church in Egremont on the Wirral and married to Hugh in the same church on 14th July in the same year. Later, their two children Malcolm and Lesley were baptised at Egremont.

Housing was difficult after the war, so when Hugh returned to work in Preston, Margaret stayed on the Wirral with her mother and father. She and Hugh eventually moved to Guttridge Memorial Methodist Church, with which there was already a Worthington family connection.

She took a position as a telephonist at the GPO in Market Place, Preston, on 26th September, 1949 and continued as a telephonist after the exchange moved to Moor Lane, until it closed down in 1976. After leaving the GPO, Peg took on another part-time post in 1977 with the Lancashire Area Health Authority in the General Office at Sharoe Green Hospital.

Peg’s final house move was to Stoney Butts in Lea, where she and Hugh spent many happy years. Hugh died in 1993. There was some concern in the family that Peg might not survive long without his guidance and support. But survive she did, for 25 years.

A loving mother, grandmother and great grandmother, she always said that she didn’t want to be a burden to her children and remained a fiercely independent person to the end. She will be deeply missed .

16 July 1931 to 9 November 2018