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Eulogy to Mrs Jean Denton (nee Smart), 07 Nov 1920 - 19 Dec 2006

2006

From: 2006 To: 2006

Submitted by Mrs Denton's eldest son.

To some Mrs Denton, to some Jean, but to Dorothy and Kate and I she was ‘Our Mum’! Mum was born in November 1920 to Jean and Alexandria Deverick Smart. She was one of twin girls, her sister Joan still lives in Canada. A few years later her sister Betty was born and a few years after that her brother Billy. Sadly both passed away some years ago! They all lived at Bell End in Kempston and they had a happy home life. Shortly after the birth of Billy the family was pulled apart and all the children sent to live with various Aunts and Uncles. The reason for this was not known at the time and for many years Mum thought that her mother was dead. It wasn’t until the 1960s when Grampy fell seriously ill that Mum found papers showing that her mother was still alive and in a hospital in St Albans. Although Mum and various other members of the family visited her she really didn’t know who they were only kept talking about ‘my girls’. She passed away in the 1980, never recovering from the illness that put her in hospital. Mum was lucky; she went to live in Birmingham with Aunt Dorothy, Auntie Gran to my sisters and me, she was a really lovely lady. There she was with other aunts and uncles and many other relations and this a period that she loved and talked of with much fondness. She eventually returned, in her teens, to her father in Kempston and went into service working for Canon Barker, the vicar of All Saints Church, Kempston. She had an active social life being in the Girl Guides and then the Red Cross. She then met our father, David, and they married on Christmas Eve 1941.Soon after this Dad, who was in the RAF, went off to war and didn’t return until 1945. I was born in 1942 and even though I was very young have many memories of those years of just me and Mum living in Mill Cottage, which to me means that Mum put a lot of effort into making sure I was happy. In 1946 my sister Dorothy was born. At this time we were still living in Mill Cottage, which was close to the river Great Ouse. In the terrible floods of 1947 the water reached halfway up the stairs and we all had to be rescued by boat. We were moved to another small house in Kempston and in 1948 moved to a new Council house in Huntingdon Road where Mum lived until she moved to Aberporth in 1989. During her marriage Mum had many different jobs and hobbies and involvements with various groups, especially as a Guide leader. She was always busy especially after 1955 when sister Kate was born. I’m sure that Dorothy and Kate or I will be willing to tell you any of our memories of those years with Mum. In April 1984 her husband, our father, David, died, he was only just 64! This left her on her own but not lonely. I lived very close by and she had many friends around her, and she had LENNIE! Now if you don’t know who Lennie was ask any of us who still bear the scars, especially my son, Peter! By this time both my sisters had both moved away from Kempston with their families to Wales, here in Cardigan. (Lennie was her cat) Mum eventually realised that she was not so happy in Kempston any more and that she was missing the growing up of Kate’s children. Also because she was such a willing person she was always being asked to ‘do things’, sit on committees etc. She had help start two major organisations in Kempston, the Balliol Towns Women’s Guild and the Kempston Senior Citizens Club. She realised that she was the person doing the work and that younger people were not coming through to help and that she herself was not getting any younger. So she sold her house and started a new life here in Aberporth. Here she has spent over 17 happy years, but of course, she had to become involved in village life, particularly with WI and this chapel. Most of you will have your own memories of her during this time. Mum was a fine seamstress! She made me this fine waistcoat that I wear with pride and as a memory to her. I don’t know what formal training Mum had in sewing but I do know she started at an early age in school and continued sewing throughout her life. My sisters, the grandchildren, and I had many clothes made by her. My abiding memory is of the tiny clothes she used to make for dolls, also her embroidery and knitting. The hours we spend holding skeins of wool so that she could roll them into balls! We always had loose threads of cotton or wool on our clothes and one the jobs we had to do was to ‘Hoover’ up all the loose pins on the floor with a large magnet. Happy memories! She had many other skills including lace making, crocheting and, of course, patchwork! At one time she had a job making wooden toys for a local toyshop. Her dressmaking skills were of such a high standard that she was sought by one company to make dresses that were sold in the West End of London. She also had her own sewing club, which she started in Kempston, and as some of you will know she continued here in Aberporth. Her work can be seen throughout both Kempston and Aberporth and probably throughout Britain and the World. A particularly fine example is found here in this chapel. I hope that those who learned from her pass on those skills to others. This will be one of her legacies! Mum was a very kind person who always helped those worse off than herself! She would buy things at Jumble sales only to donate them to the next one and then buy some more things. She always bought pegs and other items off a particular Gypsy lady who called every year; she even used to give her our clothes for her children! She gave to many charities but she was a great believer in helping people to help themselves. But it was with her time that she was most generous. Mum was a very happy person with a ready smile for everybody and it is her smile that many people will remember her by. She would not want us to mourn her but to remember her with fondness and by her kindnesses and achievements!

Delivered on 2nd January 2007 Hen Gapel Chapel, Rhiw y Plus (or School Lane), Aberporth, Cerediggion, Wales. Submitted to Bedfordshire Archives 1st February 2017.

item

Denton, Jean,
Smart, Jean,
Denton, David,
Smart, Joan,
Smart, Betty,
Smart, Billy,
Denton, Kate,
Denton, Charles Richard,
Denton, Dorothy,
Smart, Alexandria Deverick

KEMPSTON, Girl Guides, Townswomen's Guild, sewing, Aberporth, DEATH, funerals, memorials, crafts, floods, eulogy