Mary Price - December 2001
You always knew where you were with Mary Price. It might not be always comfortable, but it was real. She died as she had lived, with courage and great strength of character. Her final advice to her daughter Jenny and son Max was "to go for it in life, risk getting into trouble as she had, but to dare to live a full and wonderful life."
It was fitting that Mary's last service to the church was to attend the Autumn Market and oversee the jewellery stall that she had organised with great style for many years. She was a very loyal member of the Church Flower Arrangers, and would always make her views clear, but be generous with encouragement and praise.
Life dealt Mary many sudden and tragic blows: when she was 17 her beloved brother Jim was killed outright by an incendiary bomb in her native Cardiff, and her father critically injured, on the same night that a bomb flattened their house. She cared for and supported her mother in their great loss, and still passed her matriculation with flying colours.
Life as a naval wife, married to Douglas, meant that they were always on the move, and she was frequently alone for long periods. His sudden death left her devastated, but she found comfort with Denis Hooker, and won the respect of all in the way she nursed him through his final illness last year.
We shall miss Mary for her warmth, her challenging nature, her sympathy and her faith - may she rest in peace.
Alison Wright
If you have a photo of Mary or further remembrance to add, please contact Frank Haslam, the editor of these pages.