Violet Winifred Fanthorpe (3 Jan 1941 - 27 May 2023)

In loving memory of Violet Winifred Fanthorpe who sadly passed away on 27th May 2023

Biography

Born on the 3rd of January 1941.

Originally brought up by her nan as her mother spent a lot of time after Violet’s birth in hospital. Vi had an older bother and lived through the war years, collecting shrapnel, and went to Chesterfield junior school in Enfield.

At age 11 Violet joined Albany Girls School, ended up as house captain and vice school captain. She loved school. Whilst there she joined the school choir and her claim to fame was that she sang solo at the Royal Albert Hall.

Because Vi was the eldest, she had to sell her dad’s produce; chrysanthemums and tomatoes, and cooked the dinner for her siblings including three younger sisters, the youngest being Rita.

She studied shorthand and typing at school, then at age 16 Violet joined a company in Enfield called Berkel Weighing Machines and it was at this time she met her future husband. Once Vi left Berkel she got a job at Gestetner as a PA to a Director.

We were destined to meet as we both got offered jobs at the same company- British Oxygen, but we both decided not to take them. Instead, we met at a fairground in Enfield. Violet was on the Whip. I was impressed by her ponytail. I discovered she was not allowed to cut her hair.

We decided to get engaged and to get married after four years of dating so Violet went to work evenings for a local plumber, keeping his books and paying his employees. She did this to pay for our wedding whilst I bought our furniture.

Once married, we moved into an upstairs flat created by my parents in their house in Tottenham.

After approximately four years, our first child Susan was due and was born in the North Middlesex hospital. We then decided we needed to move to a flat which we bought in Bishop’s Stortford.

After two years we moved into a small semi detached house in Stansted where our second child Alison was born at home. I was told to leave the bedroom by the midwife, which I was not happy about.

Our third child Joanne was born whilst in Stansted too.

To help make ends meet Violet worked at Tesco and did an Avon round. At this time our youngest daughter was looked after by a good friend and neighbour Margaret, when needed, who is still a very close friend, together with Dave.

At no time did I come home from work and not have a meal on the table. Having three children, her discipline and perseverance was dominant, it had to be.

When my father died we decided to move my mother to Wickford, where my mother’s sister already lived.
Our son James was born in Wickford, where we moved from Stansted to a semi detached house in Viking Way.

Violet decided quite rightly to stay home and look after the kids. She also had to cope with my mother, taking a lot of pressure from my shoulders. We decided to sell both my mother’s bungalow and our house in Viking Way and we bought a detached house on Southend Road, Shotgate, keeping all our responsibilities under one roof. It was at this time she also started working at the Co-op chemist in Wickford, selling prams, which she enjoyed immensely.

Living at 239 Southend Road was not Vi’s favourite period when the children had moved out and my mother had passed away so we decided to move to Meadowland Road, a house she preferred.

It was there that when I retired, we and a couple of friends, Lyn and Norm, travelled the world, visiting 32 countries; Europe, Asia, Australia and north America, all of which she enjoyed.

In our late seventies we decided that we needed to move to a home that fitted our needs so we sold and moved into a retirement property in Hadleigh. She loved this home and it allowed us to visit one of our daughters who had job offers in Australia.

I would say, biased as I am, that Violet was a loving, caring and accomplished professional who would not interfere unless asked.

She will be surely missed by myself, her four children, their partners, nine grandchildren and three great grandchildren whose lives have now changed forever.