Betty
St George
Betty
was born in Wood Green In London on 1st June 1921. She had an older brother, Jackie, who
tragically died when he was 10, and Betty was 6. As a young teenager the family lived in
Clacton on Sea, She had a happy childhood and was a competitive Swimmer for
which she won many trophies. She left
school at 15 5o become an apprentice hairdresser.
In
1939 her Father died and fearing an invasion by Hitler, Betty and her mother
moved back to London. Betty worked in the Civil defence which was very risky
during the Blitz.
Betty
enjoyed life in London and met Paula who became a lifelong friend.
In
1940 she Met Donald St George but didn’t meet for another 5 years as Don went
overseas. They wrote to each other every other day , falling in love, becoming
engaged and then married on 23rd December 1945. They enjoyed 48 years of marriage.
Although
Betty had suffered during the war with anorexia nervosa and was told she would
probably never have children, she gave birth to 3 lovely girls, Anne, Kaye and
Wendy. The family were living in
Newcastle under Lyme but moved to Southampton on 1958. This included her Mother
Hilda who she cared for until her death in 1982.
When
Don became ill her dedication in visiting and caring for him in hospital was
admired by all.
She
was devoted to her family and was thrilled when her family expanded with the
arrival of 6 grandchildren.
Throughout
her life she was a committed member of the Church, becoming a deacon and elder.
She founded the WEGS (Young wives and women’s evening group ) . She was also a
founder member of Churches together in Shirley, and the local Corrymela group
showing her concern for peace in our troubled world. She organised Christian Aid and was a
mainstay of the Women’s Guild, serving as Vice president, chair and treasurer. Betty also enjoyed helping with the playgroup
and being on the tea committee. She was
a great cook.
Betty
always had real concern for others and kept in touch with everyone, visited
them in hospital.
Every
minister she was worked with have greatly valued her support in pastoral care.
All
of us will have our special memories of Betty, of which we give thank to God
for. She was very unassuming but left a profound mark on our lives. She had strong, straight forward faith.
She
will be missed by everyone.
This is a précis of
the words spoken by Rev George Watt at Betty’s Funeral.
George
William Avery
George
was born on 9th March 1920 and his early years were spent in
Freemantle, where he went to school, church and Sunday school and joined the
Boys Brigade at Elim church. With his cousin Thelma he learned the piano using
the family harmonium for practice.
On
leaving school he was employed in a fruit and vegetable wholesaler but moved on
to become an office clerk at Brown Brothers Ltd where he remained as Office
manager until his retirement in June 1982.
In the National League of Office Managers he was always in the top three
for the best control of outstanding debts. This was down to his attention to
detail, straightforward relations with customers and a consistent approach to
his task. This was achieved whilst
running an office with 23, mainly women clerks and typists!
In
the pre-war period, with his undoubted musical skill, he also was an
accomplished accordion player , he was part of a touring band called ‘The
Ambassadors’ which visited local churches and chapels to lead services, not
just in Southampton but further afield.
They travelled on their bikes with the accordion strapped to the luggage
rack!
Family
holidays were spent mostly on the Isle of Wight with Grandmother. George had
great affection for the IOW and reminisced about it often.
In
the mid 1930’s his parents moved to Gover Road, Redbridge. Not long after that he was called up for duty
and joined the Coldstream Guards 2nd & 3rd Regiments,
with his time spent mostly in Italy. The journey from Liverpool to Naples took
2 months, and soon after they arrived Mount Vesuvius erupted creating a great
deal of dust and damage. Based mainly in Trieste, he was part of the vital
supplies and communications group as the Allies made their way to victory in
Italy.
It
was while at Albany Barracks in Camden town, that he met Betty at a local
Methodist youth club. In 1945 he married Betty, in 1946 he returned from
Trieste to settle down to a civilian and married life in a flat in Gover Road.
With son Michael aged 4 they moved to Testwood Totton in 1952.
George
will be remembered for his numerous responsibilities he held, managing finances
etc for various organisations, and being co-leader of the Aldermoor boys club.
He was fully committed to helping the boys in all aspects of their lives and
ensured they had the opportunity to learn about the Christian Faith by
arranging a monthly Sunday worship service for them, bringing in like minded
people to assists.
He
organised Church fetes, bazaars and was Chairman of the Mens Club at Totton
Methodist Church, also Monthly socials where he was key pianist with help from
other musicians.
His
contribution at Totton Methodist Church and as Circuit Chapel Steward was, in
December 1973 fully recognised as he became one of three Circuit Stewards for
Southampton, being given full responsibly for financial property and
organisation affairs in 18 churches. For
relaxation he found time to play the organ not only at Totton but later at
Wimpsom and Swaythlng Methodist churches on a regular basis. One of his life time missions in music was
that it had to have a ‘bit of go’ in it, hymns included!
In
the early 1960’s George bought a Lambretta scooter, passed his test and from
then on became a mature ‘mod’ with Betty on the pillion seat. In 1966, he
passed his driving test on the 5th attempt in a veteran 1937 Austin
7 ‘Ruby’.
He
also took a regular interest in the fortunes of the Saints football team.
Brighton was the first team he took his son to see play against Saints and
George was delighted to be part of the crowd at the Civic centre when Saints
bought home the FA cup in may 1976. He
enjoyed heated debates on the ups and downs of the Saints, a tradition which
continues down the generations.
In
recent years despite declining health he was able to join in several important
family occasions, He and Betty celebrated their Diamond wedding anniversary in
2005. The day they received a card from her Majesty the Queen you could sense
how much that meant to him.
He
was always been proud of his son, his two grandsons and more recently his two
great grandchildren. His livelong
devotion was to his wife Betty; they have known each other for 67 years.
Together
George and Betty have very much appreciated being accepted as members at
Freemantle URC, following the closure of their nearest Methodist church.
In
whatever situation or organisation in which he was involved, you always knew
you were with somebody, not only with a safe pair of hands but with a pillar of
strength and truth.
For
George, integrity, honesty and a real sense of duty to others, his church and
professional work, shaped his total life.
This is a précis of
the tribute address given by his grandson.
The full version is
available at Church.