Ethel Sophia Rowling (15 Apr 1929 - 17 Jan 2021)

In loving memory of Ethel Sophia Rowling who sadly passed away on 17th January 2021 aged 91. A devoted wife and mother to her 3 children.

Babs, as she was commonly known, was born 15th April, 1929. Her childhood was difficult, however she learnt the life skills that would bode her well in her many years to come. Babs worked from an early age at Whites in Ilford. This introduced her the life of retail that would pop up again in her later years. After meeting George Thomas Rowling in Ilford, they married on 20th October 1956 living initially in Seven Kings where they had their daughter Joanne. Before moving to Benfleet where they had twin boys, Michael and Paul.

Bringing up three children whilst her husband was a long distance lorry driver brought Joanne, Michael & Paul to respect the challenges that parenting brought. She would return to working at first in a haberdashery shop called 'Pauls' in Benfleet. This was followed by a work environment that was also very different. Safeway's in Hadleigh working on the bakery counter. She would also collect insurance premiums door-to-door for Hearts of Oak. A similar activity continued with her neighbourhood charity collections. Babs became a familiar face and was a recognized and respected individual in the local community where she lived.

Babs became someone who would give so much and would want very little in return. She was of Baptist faith and supported the local Baptist church in Benfleet. She would assist at the Toddlers Group and provide many cardboard boxes that would bring fun and joy to the children who attended. Babs was also well received by the local Methodist Church in Benfleet. She was welcomed by their congregation and was a member of a number of their church groups also. Faith, belief and prejudice were seen as no barrier. This was clearly evident during her endless work for charities. Babs supported a number of charities, too many to list, both financially and through hard work and effort. The Great Ormand Street Hospital was associated to her as a child and the Seafarers UK become the recipient of many items that she had knitted. These are just two of the many organizations and individuals that benefited from her kindness and generosity. In addition to charities benefiting from her kindness Babs would make both numerous jars of pickled onions and Christmas puddings for friends and family alike. These will be sorely missed.

Travelling abroad was not high on the list of her priorities despite visiting many European locations by coach. She preferred to go places where she could get back easily from she once said. In her later years and after the passing of her husband George Thomas Rowling she continued to travel. Her son Paul lived in Prague, Czech Republic and he constantly invited her for visits. This enabled her to become as well known in Prague amongst her sons friends as she was in Benfleet. She was able to make friends across Europe and we were all very proud of this. She was also able to increase her number of 'collectable thimbles' during these travels. Babs saw her son Paul get married and brought her family together to celebrate her 90th Birthday, in Prague.

Her daughter Joanne gave her mother two grandchildren, Jamie and Liam. Her son Paul and his Czech wife Lenka presented Babs with her third grandson, Daniel, one week before her 89th birthday. She is survived by her 3 children and several members of the Humphreys & Rowling family.

A funeral service will be held at 12.30pm on Thursday 4th March, 2021 at Basildon Crematorium for family and invited friends only. Donations can be made to the aforementioned charities on this page. The funeral service will be streamed live using the details below.
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