Tower and Town, December 2017

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Family News

Two of Pauline Berryman's sons were married this year.  In June, Tim married Hilary in New York, where they now live;  in November, Philip married Clare in London after which they returned to Vancouver where they are working until July 2018. Tim and Hilary met while working at an American summer camp for The Performing Arts. Tim now runs an after- school and weekend activity centre - amongst other jobs; Hilary re-homes unwanted dogs (which in the US is more complicated than it sounds!). Philip and Clare met in London. Philip is in online marketing, and Clare is a paediatric anaesthetist. Last July she was offered a year’s secondment to The Women’s Hospital in Vancouver so they are both enjoying time out there, cycling and skiing in between work!

A Thanksgiving Service for the life of Sheila Davison was held in St George’s on Oct 10th. She had a happy childhood in spite of WWII and was a lively student at Eccles Grammar School.  After an emergency teacher training course at Trent Park, Nottingham she taught primary children and especially enjoyed teaching deaf children. She also had a gift for proofreading. She met Peter at a friend’s birthday party and they married in March 1949. Their son, Simon, plays cello for the Welsh National Opera and John lives in Marlborough, New Zealand. Their daughter, Sue, travels all over Europe working in TV engineering. Our deep sympathy to Peter and all the family.

Sophie Smithers and her partner Ben Mead have a baby son, Rory Ethan, a grandchild for Debbie and Gordon Smithers. Sophie started as a Saturday girl at W. H. Smiths while she was at St. John's and has worked full-time with the company here and then in Melksham where she lives now. Congratulations to Sophie and Ben.

At Jean Ennis' funeral at Kingsdown Crematorium on Oct 13th her family and friends remembered a loving Mum at whose house in Isbury Rd they had had such happy times, especially at Christmas. Born in 1935 in Marlborough, with twin sister, Janet, and with six other brothers and sisters, she passed the 11+ but her father died and she couldn't go to the Grammar School. She worked in the Rope Factory and the Tannery, then enjoyed making costumes for Pelham Puppets and later became a seamstress at Savernake Hospital. She met Matty Ennis, an Irish stable lad at a 'do' in the Town Hall. They married in 1956 in the Catholic Church on the Common. The reception was paid for by her brother, Ronnie, who had just won the Pools. Matty took the family on wonderful song-filled annual holidays in Ireland. They went on trips to Weymouth and to dances in the British Legion in St Martins. Jean loved knitting for the family and was always there to look after the grandchildren. She will be sadly missed by her children, Chris, Stephen, Teresa and Shaun and their partners and by her grandchildren, Tom, Harry, Max, Tom, Donna, Emma and Bronny and by her seven great grandchildren. Our sympathy to them all.

Audrey Peck