In Memory of

Ethel Thompson was born in 1924 in Burnley Lancashire. Her mum and dad worked in the cotton industry.

Naturally as a child living through the aftermath of the First World War and the depression life was hard and her parents sold woollen garments from the front room of their small terraced house. Indeed everyone lived in one room upstairs as the other was used for the machines. I’m sure that it was there that she learnt her creative skills first in knitting and sewing and leading on to her beautiful parchment cards – which were works of art – in later years.

Leaving school at 14 she got a job in a machine shop working in the measurement room making overalls for 8 shillings and 9 pence a week – that’s 43p to you and me.

The Second World War arrived and she went to work with her Father in a factory making parts for aeroplanes. Not the most glamorous of jobs for a young lady.
Later she wanted a change and decided to join the WAAF, she applied passed the medical and received her call up papers only to be told that her current job was part of the war effort.

Ethel immediately engaged her Lancashire grit and determination, she joined the Red Cross and then persuaded her family doctor to put in a good word for her resulting in a job at Colne Cottage Hospital for 9 months followed by a 3 year SRN course at Ancoats hospital Manchester.

Work in Birmingham and the Isle of Wight followed, where she worked on the TB ward and where she met Bill and fell in love – but couldn’t kiss until he was confirmed clear of his TB, but they met again in 1948 and married in 1953 At the Methodist Chapel , Brierfield Burnley on 21st March 1953. Having arrived as a sister on the medical ward at Woking Victoria Hospital Ethel and Bill rented a house with Roy and Cath Wood in St Johns.

In 1955 she fell pregnant with Pamela followed by Peter in 1958 and David in 1960. Sadly Pamela who had been ill from Birth died in 1959. When the children grew up she went back to nursing but this was curtailed when Bill once more suffered from TB and Ethel stopped to nurse him. In 2001 Bill died and Ethel missed “our Bill terribly” yet she was always grateful for the support of the church and friends who got her through those dark days.

All of her life Methodism played its part … her grandfather was a Sunday School Teacher and organist at her local Methodist Church in Burnley and of course she ended her days as a dearly loved member of this church. She had a rock sure faith believing in God her Lord and Saviour.

For Ethel the end came quickly, peacefully and without pain. For the rest of her life she had always been an active lady, the Vine on Mondays, Moorcroft on Fridays and Church on Sundays indeed often you had to book weeks in advance to see her. Let us give thanks for a life well lived and rejoice for a daughter called home.

Our Friendship began at the start of the 70’s, when, our children being similar ages, we got to know each other well. Then as they got older, Ethel and I were free to attend the Tuesday Afternoon Meeting at KMC, where we were the very Junior members, and persuaded others to come along. This continued until I returned to full-time work. We continued our friendship on Sunday Mornings at service.

As the years went by, no matter how she was feeling, she had a smile and a joke for everyone, always the “life and the soul of the party” in any place.
The later years, she amazed us with the capacity for enjoying herself, taking every opportunity to get out and about, bravely facing the loss of her Dear Bill, refusing to be beaten. She used to make us tired just hearing what she had done during the previous week, as we went off to Church together each Sunday. So many coach trips, and local activities. She could tell us all the best eating places in all the seaside resorts on her days out. She was always so immaculate and stylishly dressed, with never a hair out of place.

Ethel was a loyal member of our church at Knaphill for many years and until her recent illness was determined to get to church each week and to CAMEO.

We shared a love of jigsaws, and she had such patience and skill making beautifully crafted parchment greetings cards. She loved KMC dearly, and never missed Sunday morning Service and our lovely CAMEO Meetings on Wednesdays.
Then during 2006 it became difficult for her to get around because of her hip, and this slowed her down, and she was in so much pain, but she was still the same determined character not to let anything beat her. She was still full of fun and bright as a button, with a far better memory than John and I! She remembered all the dates and arrangements, and reminded us lots of times.
Even when in extreme pain from her severe arthritus she always had a smile and a cheery word.

Then in October 2006 she became ill with suspected food poisoning, and maybe a minor stroke, and she started to change then. Help was tried, to maintain her independence, with a Carer calling in twice a day, but she disliked this and said she could manage. She became weaker, so a live-in carer was tried for a month to build her up, but unfortunately with her indomitable spirit she resented this wildly. Her Family and Close Friends feared for her safety, it was obvious that her body was slowly failing in several ways, but she could not admit it, even to herself. So we sadly watched as she tried to manage alone, with an enormous amount of help from her neighbours Bill and Gill. But it was obvious she shouldn’t be alone. The last time she came to Church, we practically had to carry her, but she didn’t want to use the Church wheelchair. This was the first time she agreed to take communion being brought to her in the pew.
So we were not really surprised when we received the phone call to say she had gone into Hospital. It was so worrying to everyone, to think of her returning home to wait for the next collapse. So we really do thank God that she is not fighting any more, and is out of pain and frustration, and is reunited with her Bill. She made the most of every hour of her 82 years and independence right up till last October. She was an inspiring example of true “joie de vivre” and as I said to her as she squeezed my hand on that last day in the Hospital, “She was my Little Ray of Sunshine”.

Sheila Mynard Feb 2007

Thanks to Rev Nick Oborski, Sheila Mynard and Ethel's sons David & Peter for input to this tribute.

Back To Memories

Our Church

Our Halls