This page is a tribute to my great-aunt, Mrs
Mary Lowe (nee Clark) - my grandmother's youngest sister. Auntie Mary was a
major inspiration to my study of Stanley, as she had a phenomenal memory and
told fascinating stories of Stanley in the early 20th century. She also gave me
a lot of help in identifying people on old photographs.
(All photos supplied by Barbara Williams, apart from the last
one, which was taken by myself on the occasion of Mary's 100th birthday)
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Mary was born in Stanley on the 7th October 1905. Her
parents were Francis William Clark and Frances Amelia Clark (nee Hart) and
Mary was the youngest child of six. Her next eldest brother Frankie
(pictured left with Mary) died in 1917 aged 14, but Mary's other four
siblings all survived to adulthood. |
| Mary married Jack Lowe at St Andrew's Church, Stanley on 7th
July 1930. Jack was from Ilkeston, but had family connections to Stanley,
being related to the Starbuck family who ran the Bridge Inn at the turn of
the century. Jack and Mary's first child, Barbara, was born in 1931 but it
was to be another 13 years before their son Richard followed. By this time
the family had moved to Nottingham, where Jack worked at Player's factory. |
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Mary and Jack with their son Richard in 1968, and Mary
with daughter Barbara in 1987 |
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| In 1952, Jack and Mary moved from Nottingham to
Ilfracombe in North Devon, where they bought a 9-bedroomed guest house. Mary
worked long hours keeping the business running, and would later attribute
her longevity to her active life. Jack died in 1973, after which Mary decided
to retire to the area of her birth, buying a bungalow in Smalley. Mary
stayed very active for the rest of her long life. She was a member of the
Mother's Union for 67 years, and was very involved in their activities. She
grew her own vegetables until she was in her 90s, and flew many times to
America to see Barbara and her family. She would stay for 6 months every
other year, her last visit being at the age of
92.
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| On 7th October 2005 Mary celebrated her 100th
birthday - the first member of the family to reach that milestone. A party
was held at a friend's house in Smalley, and many family and friends came
along. Mary was a very independent lady and was determined to stay in her
own home. With the help of friends, neighbours, and Social Services she
achieved that ambition. She passed away peacefully in her bungalow on 15th
August 2006, aged 100 years and 10 months. Her funeral was held at Derby
Crematorium, followed on 21st September by a memorial service in Stanley
church.
Straight after the service, and in accordance with her wishes, Mary's ashes
were buried in the grave of her parents and brother Frankie. Mary had
finally come home. |
| Mary had 6 grandchildren. Four by
Barbara and Dick in America, one girl and three boys. Two by Richard and
Jenny, in Cornwall, two girls. Four great grandchildren in America, two
boys by Cathie, (oldest grandchild) and two boys by Dave, (youngest
grandson). |