Ethel Adamson (19 Oct 1922 - 21 Jan 2017)

In loving memory of Ethel Adamson who sadly passed away on 21st January 2017

Ethel was born on the 19th October 1922 in Reservoir Street, Lincoln to parents Paul & Francis. She had an elder sister Louis and younger brother Paul. when she was young, family moved to a house in Westgate, which was just across the road from the house where she was born. She was brought up in the family home & attended Westgate School opposite her home and then Leeke Intermediate School on Christ’s Hospital Terrace.

On leaving school she worked at Halliwells, a wholesale grocers in Sincil Street. Ethel’s job was to visit the smaller corner shops taking orders.To do this she went round on a bicycle covering most of the small grocery shops in Lincoln.
During the 2nd World War, Ethel worked in the office at AVROs, which was A.V Roe’s aircraft service & repair works in Bracebridge Heath.
Ethel then moved on to work as a general clerk at the Saracens Head Hotel in Lincoln High Street with Edna Carter and they became friends for life! She had an excellent memory & was very good at figures.
When the Saracen’s Head closed down in late 1959, Ethel then went to work for Pat, her Brother Paul’s wife as receptionist & wage clerk at her hairdressing salon in Lincoln High Street.
She then moved on to help her brother Paul for many years at his Dental Laboratory in Tentercroft Street Lincoln.

Ethel met her future husband, Bob at a dance at the Military Hospital in Long Leys Road. Bob was a Sergeant in the Royal Army Medical Corps. They married on the 26th March 1949. During his time in the Army, Bob was posted to Africa and on returning to the UK was then posted to Colchester. When demobbed, Bob finally returned to Lincoln where he then worked at the tax office. During all this time, Ethel remained in Lincoln.

After Bob left the Army, Ethel & Bob lived with her Parents in Westgate Her Father passed away in 1954. In the mid 1950’s, Ethel & Bob moved to one of the new maisonettes in Windsor House on Ermine East when they were first built where they made many close friends over the years. She remained living there until 14 months ago when she moved permanently to Ermine House Care Home. During the time she lived at Windsor House, her Mother Frances moved into a flat in the adjacent block. As Mother got older she moved to live with Bob & Ethel and remained living with them until she passed away in 1978.

Ethel’s Husband Bob died in 2001 and she remained living on her own at their maisonette in Windsor House. She was a very good cook and cooked for herself every day. She was an excellent baker and baked every week without fail for herself & others. She made excellent iced sponges, apple pies & mince pies and was always tempting Paul with these goodies, even though he was diabetic & should have been avoiding sugar! He could never resist her cakes!
Ethel loved jigsaws and spent many a happy hour doing her puzzles. She never gave up until she had finished - no matter how complicated a jigsaw was! She had an excellent memory right into her old age and enjoyed reminiscing about old times. Kim often went through the old Kelly’s directories with her & she enjoyed reminiscing about the old days, shops, cinemas, neighbours etc in Lincoln. One of her favourite stories was about her & Paul being shot at on Spring Hill by a German plane during the war.

From childhood Ethel was very close to her brother Paul and they remained so throughout their lives. Paul did once try & teach Ethel to drive, but these lessons were short lived as she failed to negotiate the roundabout at the end of Longsdale Road, mounted the kerb and the car ended up in the hedge of someone’s garden on the corner of Ruskin Avenue. After that, she refused to have more to do with driving lessons and never did learn to drive!

Paul & Ethel worked very hard together raising money for the Vera Dean Body Scanner Appeal at the County Hospital . An involvement which started after they called in to see Vera Dean to drop of a donation for her charity. They were both very proud to meet Princess Diana when she visited Lincoln County Hospital to open the Scanner. When Paul was 69 he had a quadruple heart bypass – a successful operation that got him & Ethel involved in the Cardiac Support Group, for which they also raised money with coffee mornings and other events.

Once Ethel & Paul retired, Paul would take Ethel shopping every week They would regularly visit local cafe’s and knew just about every one within a 20 mile radius of Lincoln. Although they both had high cholesterol this didn’t deter them from sneaky visits to the local McDonalds, Kentucky Fried Chicken & Fish & Chip shops.

Ethel was devastated when Paul passed away in March 2011 as he had always been a big part of her life.

Ethel led a very simple life. She had a small circle of friends, Nick & Edna and Mike & Annie who took her shopping once a week after Paul passed away. They continued to visit her regularly once she moved to Ermine House

Although she resisted giving up her independence, after many falls & stays in hospital, Ethel admitted that she could no longer live on her own and her niece Lynn, managed to get her a place at Ermine House Care Home, which was just across the road from her home in Windsor House, so she remained in familiar surroundings. She had a lovely room and was very well looked after by the caring staff at Ermine House where she spent the last 14 months of her life.

Ethel passed away peacefully in her sleep at the age of 94 at Ermine House on 21st January 2017.

Although she had no family of her own, she was Auntie to Jack & Louis’ daughter, the late Pauline and Paul & Pat’s daughters Lynn & Kim and great Auntie to Mike & Pauline’s children Paul & Elaine.

Ethel will be sadly missed by her friends & family.