Rosalie Elizabeth Jones (6 May 1942 - 4 Mar 2016)

In loving memory of Rosalie Elizabeth Jones who sadly passed away 4th March 2016

Funeral: Wed 23/03/2016
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13:30 9 Friary Avenue, Abbots Bromley, WS15 3ED
14:15 St Nicholas Church, Abbots Bromley, WS15 3BP
15:30 Stafford Crematorium, Tixall Road, Stafford, ST18 0XZ (14 miles from the church)
16:30 The Bagot Arms, Abbots Bromley, WS15 3DB

Eulogy by Audrey Southwick (nee Smith)
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Hello, I’m Rosalie’s cousin, Audrey, and I have known her all her life. She was born on the 6th of May 1942, at 28 Dennis Hall Road, Amblecote, near Stourbridge, a war-time baby. I was taken along to see her during the first week of her life. Her mother, my Aunt Ciss, was still ‘lying-in’ for the first few days, and Rosalie, a very fair tiny little baby was in a cot at the side of the bed. I remember it vividly. I was seven years old. She was a quite unusual baby, inasmuch as she was born with six finders on her left hand – an extra little finger, and to me this was fascinating. She later had the finger surgically removed when she was about two years old.

When she was five, she started school at Hawbush Primary School nearby and it was there that she met her friend Carol who was the same age, and they became friends for life. Carol is here today with her husband Eric. I occasionally went to stay with Rosalie for a sleep-over and we always got on.

Her life progressed in a normal way with a loving father and mother, a happy home life and with a large close-knit family of grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins on both sides. Nearly all the family on her father Reuben’s side were musical – he was a good tenor, his brother Jack (my father) was an excellent bass-baritone, Uncle Ted was a high standard pianist, and Uncle Tom played the trombone, banjo, and later on the drums in a well-known local brass band. Aunt Alice and Aunt Maud could also turn out a tune on the piano at home, and so on. Later, Cousin Margaret sang and Cousin Bevis – here today – played the trumpet and the tuba.

On Sunday evenings this gregarious family used to assemble at Gran and Grandad’s house for a get-together and I personally used to look forward to the occasions when little Rosalie arrived. She was a platinum-blond blue-eyed little girl and she mixed in shyly with the family in her own quiet way. At about this time she was a member of the Brownies and the Girl Guides as was her friend Carol and friend Jackie. She told of when they used to go off to camp in Wales – Barmouth – etc. travelling all the way in the back of a lorry. No health and safety rules then. On one of the expeditions a gale force wind came up and blew all the girls’ tents down and the girls had to be fetched back home by anxious parents.

She started at Audnam Secondary School when she was eleven and finished her schooling there. When she left she got a secretarial/clerical job at a local engineering firm, Francis Lane, and stayed there for a number of years. Finally, she moved on to a similar position with another local firm, Weldall and Assembly, Stourbridge.

Eventually she met David, fell in love, and they were married on 31st March 1964 at Brierley Hill Parish Church, and it snowed! They set up home in a semi-detached house in Kingswinford and later moved to a larger detached house in Stourbridge, near the park.

Rosalie found a new family – David’s sister Pat, her husband, and later several nephews and nieces. They were a brilliant extra family and she was so proud of her nephews and nieces. Pat also was a true friend of Rosalie for many years.

Then David, who was a skilled heating and ventilation engineer, and who had travelled and worked abroad both in Europe and Huston, Texas, working in the oil industry, got a job in Luxembourg.

So off they went to Luxembourg. On the day that they finally moved there, David drove his own larger car and Rosalie drove her small car following behind him in tandem all the way to Luxembourg. What an achievement! A couple of years ago she amazed everyone by suddenly taking off on her own by taxi, train and ferry to visit old friends there – Angela and Fred - another achievement.

She involved herself and took an interest in David’s hobby – model railways. He had a grand collection and layout in the loft and garage both in Luxembourg and when they returned to England. She attended exhibitions and demonstrations with him quite often.

One of her interests was needlework and tapestry and she also produced several lovely pictures by painting by numbers which isn't as easy as it sounds – lots of intricate work. But her main interest was in amateur dramatics. She’d been a member of her local group at Amblecote and been in several plays. She was very good. Inevitably she took it up again when they returned to England, to settle in Abbots Bromley, this lovely village. I saw her in two productions and was so impressed with little, quiet Ros’s talent on the stage. Her husband David involved himself with the electrics and lighting of the productions so they were a good asset to the group.

Sadly, they were never blessed with children but Rosalie so enjoyed the company of children, especially her nieces, nephews and great-nieces and nephews, and was always interested in their achievements.

Ros was a generally quiet little person, very easy to get on with. A bit giggly. She was sociable, made friends in the village, liked a drink and a smoke, joined the Evergreens Club and enjoyed their activities. I don’t remember ever hearing Rosalie say an unkind word about anyone. Although she had her ups and downs in later life I believe she was well liked. She was extremely famous for her hugs with which she was very generous. She will be much missed.

Obituary by Carol Hickman
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Ros and I first met when we went to school together in 1948 and later, church, brownies and guides. We saw each other every day until she went to secretarial college.

I remember one “Dinner Time” coming home from school there was a “pea souper” fog and we couldn't find our way home. Then we spotted the light in the telephone box, which was the top of our street and there was Rueben looking for her before he went on his 2 o'clock shift to Round Oak Steel Works.

Ros had lovely thick blond plaits in her younger days and always had beautiful hair.

The year we went to Guide camp (travelling on the back of the lorry) we had 70 mph gales which blew the tents down so we didn't wash for a week and wore our pyjamas under our guides uniform. Later we spent happier holidays in Folkestone and crossed the channel to France on the ferry. Perhaps that’s why she wanted her ashes scattered in the channel.

Ros was very sensitive and emotional and when I had to go to hospital with T.B. she sobbed her heart out. She always said that I was the sister she never had. Indeed, we did have some telepathy because we would know when each other was phoning and she would answer the phone “Hello Carol”.

When Ros and David first started “going out” together, she had to be home before 10 o'clock otherwise her Dad would be waiting at the front gate on the pretext of taking her dog Jack for a walk.

Ros and David were Jonathan’s godparents and she said she felt very proud - see photo. She would have made a lovely mother.

They came to live near us in Lea Vale road and we saw each other quite often and when I broke my leg, she would cycle up to me and do my ironing. She liked ironing and would fold the hankies neatly and even iron the socks. One afternoon she didn't arrive and later that evening she arrived with her leg in a plaster cast. She had fallen off her bike and torn her ligaments. So both of us were hobbling about on crutches!

Ros was a founder member of the Drama group and took on many characters from French Maids and Nuns to Yorkshire landladies. She would often giggle during rehearsals which ended up with the whole of the cast laughing.

Her time in Luxembourg was some of her happiest moments. She found her independence and confidence and really enjoyed her singing and dancing in the Theatre group. Eric and I often visited there and one year we had to drive through a blizzard and were late arriving - no mobile phones then! She was so relieved and happy to see us and of course we had extra hugs.

She was very superstitious and would never take her wedding ring off. If she was in a play which needed her to be unmarried she would cover her ring with an elastoplast. Many times when we went out together she would have to touch the door to the house 3 times for luck.

After they moved to Abbots Bromley we continued to visit each other; but after losing David she became very depressed and unhappy.

I prefer to remember her happier days when she giggled, tickled and hugged everyone.

I miss her,
Carol.

Dates/Age/Details
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06/05/1942 Born to Thomas Reuben Smith an electric crane driver and Beatrice May Smith (nee Maiden) at 28 Dennis Hall Road, Brierley Hill in the district of Rowley Regis, sub-district Kingswinford.
1953 – 1957 11-15 Audnam Secondary Modern School.
1957 - 1958 16 12 month secretarial course at Foley College, Stourbridge, West Midlands. This included typing, shorthand, book-keeping and English.
1958 - 1975 16-33 Obtained employment at Francis & John S. Lane Ltd of Brierley Hill – a small privately owned company producing mining and quarry equipment.
31/03/1964 21 Married David (22) at The Parish Church (C of E), Brierley Hill.
11/05/1970 28 Job application by David puts them living at 51 Rangeways Road, Brierley Hill, West Midlands, DY6 8PQ.
18/05/1970 28 David (also 28) is offered position at GKN Birwelco Ltd.
30/06/1975 33 Started work at Weldall Engineering Ltd, Old Wharf Road, Stourbridge, DY8 4LT as a copy typist in the Sales Department. Weldall Engineering was a medium to heavy fabrication company which also manufactured mechanical handling systems for the car industry, baling presses, alligator sheers, cub shears, drum crushers, repetitive fabrications, general engineering and profiling.
Ros was made redundant from this position.
Average weekly wage was £59.06
08/02/1981 38 Completed a job application form for GKN Birwelco Ltd
30/09/1981 39 Letter of reference from J.E. Stevens, Sales Manager of Mamod Steam Models Ltd of Thorns Works, 206 Thorns Road, Brierley Hill, West Midlands, DY5 2JZ.
As a shorthand-typist, Mrs Jones has been employed as my secretary for the past six months and has always carried out her duties most cheerfully and efficiently. I have no hesitation in recommending her for a similar post in the future and wish her every success.
1981 – 1986 39-44 Multiple applications for jobs but unfortunately all unsuccessful.
05/12/1986 44 Correspondence with the Job Centre in Stourbridge re the Restart Scheme.
23/01/1987 44 Applied for job at John Brown Estate Agents of Lye Stourbridge.
1988 -1989 45 Attended Foley College Stourbridge part time and qualified in V.E.I. Typing
25/01/1988 45 Interviewed at Zeus Aluminium Products Ltd of Brierley Hill.
18/05/1989 47 Letter of reference from P.I. Davenport, director of Mark Davis Engineering Company Ltd of Hayes Lane, Lye, Stourbridge, West Midlands, DY9 8RA. Employed temporarily to cover a maternity leave from 02/01/1989. Address at the time was 3 Lea Vale Road, Stourbridge, West Midlands, DY8 2DS.
11/07/1989 47 Helping Hands – 4 days at Control Environmental Engineering, Amblecote.
24/07/1989 47 Helping Hands – 3 weeks at Brass Art Craft, Lye, Stourbridge.
21/08/1989 47 Helping Hands – 1 week at Midlands Finance, Halesowen.
03/10/1989 47 Helping Hands – 2 weeks at Dobel Coated Steels, Lye, Stourbridge.
16/10/1989 47 Helping Hands – 2 days as copy typist for Big Country Waterslides, Kingswinford.
19/02/1990 47 Helping Hands – 1 week as clerk/typist for Tarmac, Merry Hill, Brierley Hill.
27/03/1992 49 Interview at the job centre in Stourbridge.
1997 55 Lightning strike on the Luxembourg house.
1999 57 Moved to Abbots Bromley from Luxembourg.
23/03/2013 70 David dies aged 71 in Burton Hospital from septicaemia, bronchopneumonia, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Also had Lewy body dementia.
10/08/2015 73 Discharge summary from Derby Hospitals. Mild dysphagia (difficulty in swallowing), acid reflux, background of metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of oesophagus, on palliative chemotherapy. Underwent OGD (oesopago-gastro duodenoscopy – i.e. endoscopic examination of the throat) with stent insertion (injection of dye to show arterial blood flow). Apyrexial (without fever).
06/01/2016 73 Discharge from Ward 19 Burton Hospital. Appetite poor with swallowing problems.
11/01/2016 73 Discharged from the Community Intervention Service at Burton Hospital.
04/03/2016 73 Died at home from oesophageal carcinoma (throat cancer).