Jean Elizabeth Naden (12 May 1924 - 31 Jan 2018)

In loving memory of Jean Elizabeth Naden who sadly passed away on 31st January Jinny Naden Jolly

She signed her name Jean,
Her family called her Jinny,
But her true name was Jenny.

Jinny was born 12th May 1924 in Canning Town into the Jolly family of greengrocers, who at that time had stalls in Rathbone Street and a shop in Brunel Street. She found herself with two older brothers Joey and Billy and 6 years later another brother Johnny and a sister Iris, these were the twins. When the 6 year old Jinny was asked by her dad, ‘Do you like them?’ she shouted ‘NO, send ‘em back’.

Joe and Liz Jolly her parents, expected her to do her share of the work on the stall and in the shop along with her two older brothers, which she did. But greengrocers life wasn’t for Jinny. She wanted other things and she also wanted to grow up quickly.

From the age of 12 she started wearing more grown up clothes and wearing make-up. She loved fashion, hats in particular, she would save her pocket money to buy a hat that though very fashionable, was usually far too old for her, quite shocking for back then. But Jinny was strong minded and didn’t care what anybody thought.

At the age of 14, she went to stay with a family in Southend and became a waitress in a large restaurant. Now having her own money she became a soft touch by her brothers Billy and Johnny to lend them money from time to time, which never got paid back, by the way.

She was an attractive young girl and had many boyfriends, she even got engaged to one of them during the war, her one true love Tommy Bowden, but she was impatient and couldn’t wait for him. Instead in 1952 at the age of 28 she married Frank Naden a local Poplar man, five years her senior.

Jinny, decided to put her catering skills to good use and open a cafe across the road to her mother and fathers shop that they had bought in 1929 in St Leonards Road Poplar. She turned it into a thriving business preparing proper fresh home cooked dinners and desserts. All the veg came from the shop across the road and the meat came from the butchers next door. Her jam roly poly pudding and spotted dick with custard was delicious.

Frank and Jinny were young and carefree and when everybody else was happy to have a day at the seaside in Southend or Canvey Island, they were off flying to France, Italy, Belgium, and Spain. They enjoyed their life together

Jinny and Frank couldn’t have children, but they adored all the nieces and nephews as they came along. The first one being Pat in May 1946. This was a time when only fathers were allowed to see their wives in the maternity ward. But, Jinny being Jinny, decided that she was going to see her first niece at the hospital and made her way to the baby unit, where she was able to spot her straight away because she said, Pat looked her grandfather Jolly with her round face and shock of black hair.

Other nieces and nephews came along, who she adored..... Elizabeth, Richard, Lynda, Lisa, Little John who’s in heaven, and young Julie who lifted all the family’s hearts again when she was born. Jinny made a fuss of them and loved them all, and they all loved her back.

Jinny loved spending leisure time with the family, going to the races at Epsom and Ascot every year. Then in 1960 the family bought three caravans and put them side by side in Wateringbury in Kent along by the river Medway and for many years that is where all the family would get together at weekends during the summer months.

Frank and Jinny moved to Barking in the late 60s or early 70s. They were fortunate to meet and remain good friends with Barbara and Mick from across the Road. Barbara and Mick have been a godsend in later years after Frank died very often helping out in any emergency that befell Jinny.

Jinny was also lucky to have found Julie, who helped both Jinny and Frank as they got older and couldn’t cope so well with the daily chores. Julie, probably came as near to being a daughter as you could get. My Barbara and My Julie as Jinny always referred to them. Then another lady stepped into Jinnys life when she suffered terrible back pain and couldn’t move. She needed a carer urgently, and in stepped ‘My Cheryl’ as she came to be known, along with the indispensable help from Sharon, Jinnys other carer who she called ‘Miss whip it quick’.
But to Pat and Lynda, these ladies, Barbara, Julie, Cheryl, and Sharon came to be known as the dream team, they cared for our dear aunt when they knew it was difficult for us to do so. And Lynda and I will be forever grateful to them. They loved Jinny almost as much as her family did.

One little story to tell during Jinny’s last months. She has always been a good Catholic, but in later years she never got to the church. She said her prayers every night and prayed for everybody in the family. Being a Catholic this also meant that she would only eat fish on a Friday, she looked forward to that day more than any, cos Julie, who prepared all her dinners made sure she got her Friday fish meal.

From time to time Jinny would get a bit forgetful, and confusion would sometimes became a problem. Around Christmas time Jinny started to really deteriorate, and like many elderly people she began to go off her food. This was a concern for everyone. Julie rang Pat one day, maybe it was a Wednesday or a Thursday and said, ‘Jean was quite confused today, but also to help to get her to eat a little more, she said she’d made her, her favourite meal of Fish. To which Pat replied, jokingly, ‘Well you ain’t helping are ya, she’s already confused and you’ve given her fish, she’ll think today is Friday, she’s gonna have two Fridays this week’. Pat and Julie had a good laugh about it. We know Jinny would have seen the funny side too as she had a great sense of humour.

Jinny is going to be missed by a lot of people. She is the last of her generation in the Jolly family to go on her journey to be with her mum and dad and her brothers and sister who have long gone before her.

God Bless her as she goes to meet them again.