 |
An appreciation of Mary Joscelyne 1937 - 2008
From Peter Joslin: Chairman of the Josselin Society
Mary, why did you have to leave us so soon and so suddenly?
We will miss you so much.
Those organising skills, that ‘Boots’ recognised all that time ago,
were put to such good use for our Josselin Society, the team of ‘Ben
& Mary’ became a phrase used since 1994 for all our events:
AGM’s, Visits and Committee meetings, mainly in East Anglia but also
Devon, Staffordshire, Kent, Surrey, Northamptonshire, Lincolnshire,
and Northumberland,
You were always there for us Mary.
I was conscious that Ben could not have undertaken his posts as our
Membership Secretary and Society Treasurer without your unstinting
support.
You made Margaret and I so welcome on our numerous visits to Essex,
we would often phone and email each other, to talk of out latest
finds in
family history research, websites and Josselin affairs.
Our thoughts and sympathy are with you Ben, our loss, although
great, is small compared with yours, I know all our members and your
family and friends will wish to support you during this very sad
time.
|
It is with great sadness that we announce of news of the sudden death
of Mary Joscelyne,
wife of Ben, on 30th October, aged 71, at their home in Braintree.
Essex. England
Born Elizabeth Mary Johnston in 1937 in Grays, Essex, England
where she witnessed much war damage,
Mary moved with her parents George and Edith Johnston to
Bocking, Braintree.
Mary was educated at Panfield Lane school, leaving as head girl.
Her father was the local policeman, covering Bocking and a large
rural area on foot and bicycle.
Joining the Boots Company, Mary started in their lending library,
stationery and book department in Braintree
and later became a Staff Trainer travelling all over Essex and
Suffolk. Returning to Braintree,
she became a Sales Supervisor and when retiring in 1996 had
completed 44 years with the company.
An only child, she cared for her father after her mother died and
then
in 1994 she married Ben and a new chapter in her life opened up.
Together they enjoyed travelling worldwide and in the UK and were
involved in numerous local organisations.
They had met many years previously on the voluntary committee of
Resting Seat Housing Society which provided sheltered housing.
But Mary’s great lifelong interest was flower arranging and she was
a founder member of Bocking Flower Club
and as Chairman recently presided at the clubs 40th anniversary
celebration.
Indeed, she had served as their Chairman for almost half those 40
years. In addition,
Mary was a regular flower arranger at St Mary’s Church, Bocking,
where her Funeral and Thanksgiving Services have been held.
For ten years she had designed and co-organised the church Flower
Festival.
In her younger days she had been a keen Badminton and Tennis player
and continued to maintain an armchair interest in sport,
particularly tennis, cricket and horse racing on the flat;
at one time she had been a member at Newmarket.
Her Grandfather, Thomas Johnston, had been Scottish Cross
Country Champion
when living in Berwickshire and represented both Scotland and later
England internationally
when he became a member of Highgate Harriers.
Her personal interests and accomplishments were
gardening, dressmaking, knitting and watercolour painting,
while in recent years she had made much progress in tracing her own
family ancestry as well as for others.
|
|
