Olive Ackland (25 Feb 1934 - 27 Oct 2020)

In loving memory of Olive Ackland who passed away, peacefully among friends at home in Shebbear on 27th October 2020 aged 86 years

Beloved Wife of Ron, loving Mum of Graeme & Brian, and grandmother of Frank and James.

There will be prayers in Shebbear Square on Monday 16th November at 2pm followed by Private Cremation.

Donations in Olive's memory if desired to the The Devon Air Ambulance Trust c/o N. Lock & Son, Black Torrington, EX21 5QD. 01409 231281.

Olive Truebody was born in Cape Town, on her father’s birthday on. 25th February 1934, the 14th of his 17 children. She grew up in a strong Salvation Army traditions, several of her siblings became officers. The extended family lived in the Observatory district and she attended a “coloured” school, leaving at 14. She worked in South Africa until at 21 she had saved enough to buy a ticket and set sail on the Stirling Castle to London, where her sister Joyce was already living.

She worked at the Gamages department store in Holborn in accounts, where she met Ron Ackland, and they were married in March 1959. They lived in a flat in Friern Barnet before buying a house at 55 Manwood Road in Crofton Park, where Graeme was born in 1962 and Brian in 1965. The next big upheaval came in 1968, when Ron’s father George died and the family moved back to his village, Shebbear, to live with Ron’s mother Gladys, buying the house next door and knocking them into one.

Olive loved being in control, and established not one but three small businesses, running a successful café, outside catering business, and £1-a-night B&B. business in Korna House, while Ron had various jobs as a builder, billposter and garage attendant. The house was always open, with guests, customers to the cafe and people from the village and boys from Shebbear College forever passing through. Visitors to the B&B were welcomed as family, and with so many coming back that the line between friends and customers was increasingly unclear. Wedding catering days were always special, with Olive calmly managing her team of whichever trusted friends were available to set up the venue, cook and serve hundreds of meals in a handful of minutes, and clear up by the end of the day.

Olive and Ron were both keen for the boys to have the education they had been denied. Shebbear Primary School was especially strong in the 1970s, and the boys both gained day places at Shebbear College. Throughout the 70s, the family lived in the Square at Shebbear with the house always busy with friends and with business. She took a week’s holiday each year, to visit friends and family in London.

Once the boys had left home, Korna House was redivided into two houses and one was sold. Olive and Ron moved to Roborough to work for Trathens Coaches as caterers. Olive became British in 1987, and began to travel, both as a hostess on the tour buses, after Trathens collapsed in the mid 1990s, Olive returned to Shebbear with Ron. Olive continued to travel. now as a tourist herself, visiting Europe, then the USA where Graeme was working, which opened the way to further trips to Canada, USA, China, Egypt and, eventually, returning twice to visit South Africa. She loved travelling, especially through beautiful countryside, and her flowers. In later life, she was active in the WI, and in Bowling Clubs: short mat in Shebbear and outdoor in Bradworthy where she was captain.

In October 2020 she was diagnosed with an aortic aneurysm and came home rather than having a risky operation. Having been on a ward with a covid patient, she was required to self isolate for the last two weeks of her life.