Edith Josephine Ward (5 Jul 1925 - 5 Mar 2019)

In loving memory of Edith Josephine Ward who sadly passed away on 5th March 2019.

EDITH JOSEPHINE WARD (JOSIE)

Josie, originally christened Edith, was born in Boston, Lincolnshire in 1925; she was one of six children, her siblings being sister, Dinah, brothers, Dick, Georgie, Fred and Frank who all lived in the Lincolnshire town with their mum and dad.

In the early 1940s Josie joined the Women’s Land Army and was based in Scotland. She remembered how cold it was at times and how awful the food was; she became very homesick and missed her family.

A little later on she met her husband to be, Bill at quite a young age and after a few years of marriage they decided to up sticks and move to London. They bought a flat in Anson Road, London, N7 and settled down to London life which was different to her time living in Boston. Her husband, Bill eventually found work in the pest control company, Rentokil and Josie after trying out a few other jobs became a shop-floor worker in Woolworths, Holloway Road, working on the broken biscuit counter amongst other things. They lived their day-to-day lives happily going to work and enjoying London.

Josie made various friends at the Holloway Road branch of Woolworths and one of them was Doris Stacey who went on to become her lifelong friend. Doris eventually made her way up the ladder to work in the office at Woolworths, becoming head cashier and as they were good friends, Doris requested if Josie could work beside her as her invoice clerk and to assist her in her duties.

They were also firm friends outside of work and Josie made friends of Doris’s family also. Eventually, Josie and Bill moved to the same street as Doris and her husband Frank - Mildmay Road, Newington Green, N1.

Later on in their friendship Josie’s husband Bill joined the Buffalo Organisation along with Frank, which they took very seriously. The organisation was a bit like the Masons. There was a good social club attached to this based in Thornhill Square and a lot of Saturday and Sunday evenings were spent ‘down the club’, where they would go and listen to live bands and singers and quite often this would give way to a last minute party in someone’s house where the gin and tonic and beer would flow until the small hours! The Buffs, as they were called, would often arrange many dinner dances and other functions, and that’s when Josie enjoyed getting her hair done and choosing a new dress to attend them. Josie always liked her hair to be done and liked to look smart in nice clothes.

Josie and Bill also liked to visit Doris and Frank on their newly purchased boat moored in Benfleet Creek in Benfleet, Essex and also enjoyed holidays with them to Italy, camping on many occasions, along with other friends such as Hetty and Bob and Lou and Arthur who were a lot of fun but sadly no longer with us.

Also, at this time Josie became more like an aunt to Doris and Frank’s three children and knew them from a very young age and likewise got to know Doris’s sister, Margaret very well along with her husband Alan and their three children.

As the years moved on sadly Josie lost her husband Bill to cancer in 1978 but continued to live in London for a while; eventually moving to Benfleet in 1987, living just off Benfleet High Road in Hillside Road. It was a first move on her own and must have been quite daunting for her to move out of familiar territory; however she knew that her friends Doris and Frank would be moving down too at some point to be closer to their boat.

Josie continued to live in Benfleet but also enjoyed going to stay with her other friends, Shiela and Jack in Penge near Croydon and they also visited her in Benfleet from time to time. She also had visits from time to time from her brothers Frank and Georgie.

After Frank and Doris moved to 39 Richmond Avenue, Benfleet from London, Josie also made another move and she too went to live in Richmond Avenue just a few doors away – again moving to the same road as her friend.

Josie loved to play bingo, go to the market and accompany Doris and Frank when they visited their family members, either back to London or over to Kent.

Whilst living in Richmond Avenue, Josie’s brother Dick would visit every other Wednesday whilst travelling south as he was a long distance lorry driver and used to stay overnight at Josie’s and enjoy a home-cooked meal, bath and a comfy bed.

As the years passed Doris’s husband also died and thereafter Josie and Doris virtually went everywhere together, family gatherings at Christmas, parties and out in Doris’s car to bingo on more than one day a week! Later on, Josie again moved house to Louisa Avenue, Benfleet, just across the road from Doris after she sold up in Richmond Avenue.

Sadly, in her early 80s Josie went blind and that seriously curtailed her freedom of movement, as Josie loved gardening, going shopping, etc., it was a great shock for her to lose her sight so late in life. Her neighbour, Doreen who had become friendly with Josie since moving into Louisa Avenue became much more of a help to her on a daily basis, eventually helping with shopping and taking her to hairdressers appointments, doctors, chiropody and other places she could now no longer get to. She was a great help to Josie.

Josie had suffered quite badly with ill-health throughout her life but always seemed to bounce back; she was virtually always upbeat and was very pleased to hear a voice when visiting. She still managed somehow to do her washing and miraculously her ironing. She did have to have carers after she went blind to help with meal preparation but she still maintained her own personal care.

Josie loved nothing more than to expertly knit jumpers and cardigans for people when she was able and her knitted garments were perfectly made, as was her cooking. She always liked to keep everything neat, clean and tidy.

Josie was a very gentle, kind-hearted lady who sadly lost her husband quite early and thereafter spent over forty years on her own. She always tried to make the best of things and always tried to gloss over all her ailments even though one of her ailments, breast cancer, was taking its toll. She was easy to help and she was always very, very grateful. She will be sadly missed, but at least we know now that she is suffering no more and out of pain......................Probably now having a game of bingo with her best friend Doris in the great hall in the sky.

13.03.2019
A. ROBERTSON