Tessa Chettle (2 Dec 1935 - 3 Jan 2018)

In Memoriam - Tessa Chettle - 2nd December 1935 to 3rd January 2018

With great sadness we are writing to let you know that Tessa passed away in the early hours of Wednesday 3rd January at Aslockton Hall Nursing Home, where she was cared for in her final days. She died peacefully in her sleep after losing her long and determined battle with cancer.

Tessa didn’t want it to be known that she was unwell and, following diagnosis and surgery over 2 years ago, continued on with life as usual for as long as she could; with her social life both within and outside the village, caring for our menagerie of animals and, as was her nature, taking time to care for her family and friends before looking to herself.

Tessa was born to Spencer and Murial Mumby (nee Sheldon) in Coddington, Newark in 1935 and was educated at Overstone School, Northampton. She then went on to the Ladies Training College, Eastbourne, where she practised and perfected her excellent culinary talents, needle craft and house-keeping skills amongst others. This in turn led to her gaining the position of Matron at S. Anselm's School in Bakewell, Derbyshire.

Although the main family home was in Coddington, Tessa spent many school holidays at the family holiday home in Skegness. She often reminisced of happy times playing with childhood friends on the beaches and of riding ponies through the dunes and the mud flats around Seacroft, near Gibralter Point.

In 1957 Tessa met and married John and they moved into the house, which was to become the family home that it still is today.

Tessa immersed herself fully in village life from the outset and was involved with the setting up and running of the Playgroup, Youth Club and Rendezvous Club. She became a long-standing member of the WI and Gardening Club and also served for a time on the Village Hall Committee. She helped to organise a whole host of village events and outings over the years, as well as assisting with all the catering that went along with such a role!

As most of you will know, Tessa had a great love of animals, gardening and of outdoor life in general, and in the past was infamous for leading either myself or my sister around the village on a pony, cycling to and from the Co-op, and for pushing a wheel barrow loaded with hay along Tythby Road. Up until more recently she could be found walking with Bonnie around the village and having a chat with fellow villagers over gates and in driveways or whenever the chance arose.

Latterly, when she became less physically able, she spent her time avidly knitting for various charities, which included making tiny knitted hats, gloves, bootees and jackets for babies in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and also knitting toys to sell to raise funds for the Lincs and Notts Air Ambulance Service. And at this point we would like to thank Tessa’s dear friends who enabled her to continue to attend all the regular Coffee Mornings and Knitting Clubs, which she enjoyed so much, when she was no longer able to get there under her own steam!

Tessa was adamant that she was not to have a funeral of any sort and, in accordance with her wishes, she was cremated at Wilford Hill on Monday 15th January and her ashes buried in the family plot in Cropwell Butler Cemetery with only the family in attendance.

With no funeral service to mark the occasion of Tessa’s death, for those that would like to make a charitable donation in her memory, donations can be made to the Lincs and Notts Air Ambulance Service via A.W. Lymn Funeral Directors in Bingham.

And finally, we would like to say a heartfelt thank you for all the cards, flowers and kind thoughts that we have received from our many friends within the village. We know that Tessa will be greatly missed by all and that the village won’t be the same without her!

RIP Tessa, you were the most amazing Wife, Mother, Granny and Friend!

John, Belinda, Phil, Sharif, Jasmine & Sammy
xxxxxxx