Mabel on the swing in her garden April 2014
It was with great sadness that we heard that Mabel died on Monday morning. She had a stroke over the weekend and was in hospital. Mabel was one of the most cheerful, lively, saintly people who never let things get her down.
She was the choir at All Hallows’, changing into a choir robe and proud of her choir medallion. She would stand to lead us in singing the Gloria even when her ‘ruddy’ legs (to quote her) were painful.
She may well have been the first ‘green’ person at All Hallows’, making purificators (the cloths used with the chalices) out of shirts and regularly repairing liturgical ‘equipment’. She was creative and was good at tapestry and made us some rainbow vestments.
When I joined her to do the sacristy work, she was definitely the brains of the operation. She was in charge in the vestry and was knowledgeable and unafraid to be critical of clergy, sometimes quite bluntly!
Mabel was a spiritual and very faithful person who always lived in the present and was ready to embrace new ideas.
As well as attending church on a weekly basis, Mabel was also involved with groups associated with All Hallows’. She was a regular at the Tuesday Together group and helped at the St. Margaret’s Playgroup which was based in the Cardigan Centre.
We celebrated Mabel’s 90th. birthday in 2012 in church with cake and beautiful bunting made by the children. We will miss Mabel and give thanks for all that she was to us and for being such a joyful member of the All Hallows’ family.
Mabel helping to make the felt hanging in April 2011
Mabel at memorial rose planting for Andrew Shackleton, Spring 2014
Do please share with us your memories of a great lady.
