(Kay) Yvonne Castle (1 Aug 1940 - 25 Sep 2021)

We would be honoured if you'd help us celebrate the life of Yvonne Castle who sadly passed away on 25th September 2021.

Yvonne was a lady who always took life by the horns and lived every minute of it. She loved travelling, and got to visit many far-flung places on cruises and holidays, often making life-long friends in the process. Sailing was one of her passions, which she shared with her second husband Brian (also sadly missed). They where both prominent members of Benfleet Yacht Club.

Mum loved entertaining extensively at home with both family and friends. We've all spent many happy hours around her dining table enjoying her fabulous cooking and imbibing Brian's generous drinks. Any birthday or anniversary was an excuse for get-together, she loved getting the whole family together. At home we were encouraged to debate the issues of the day, Mum was never short of an opinion. Her recipe book is now a family heirloom.

Yvonne had a successful professional life too working to break the 'glass ceiling', culminating in a senior Marketing position for Williams & Glyns bank where at one point she managed a large team. Sadly, this ended when having badly injured her back she was medically retired back in 1988. This did not stop her however, and she has worked for the Essex School Admissions Panel and been very active in local fundraising groups, organising numerous fundraising events for Macmillan and Fairhavens Hospice - who incidentally took incredibly good care of her through to the end.

Mum never gave up learning either, having passed several courses later in life for Law and Sociology. She was motivated to stay up-to-date with modern world, and tried hard to stay fit. She was an active member of the local U3A. Her interests included antiques, local history, photography and she maintained the neatest garden you can imagine (albeit with some help more recently).

We have all lost someone who was a force for good, who was our advocate, who guided us to achieve higher things and who supported us through difficult moments in our lives. We will miss her greatly.