Fondly remembered.
donated £20 in memory of Ann
Report
Ann Pape (1 Aug 1943 - 14 Aug 2015)
- Location
- The White Hart Main Street Ufford PE9 3BH
- Date
- 27th Aug 2015
- Time
- 1pm
Ann was born child number six to a French father and an English mother, who had been neighbours and young sweethearts.
Brought up in South London, she was too young to be troubled by the horrors of the Second World War and enjoyed a happy childhood. She would often tag along with her older brothers Geoffrey and Tony to help sell firewood or gather mulberries from the one tree in the communal area which gave its fruit to whomever could get to it.
When she was only eight years old, Ann somehow managed to provide the family with a roast dinner when their mother was in hospital. By this time, the brood had increased to ten and Ann became little mother to the younger ones. Eventually the family was complete, with twelve children in total, four boys and eight girls. Ann was always willing to help out and set about her chores without complaint.
She started work at the tender age of fourteen and in those days girls were paid less than half a boy's wage, yet somehow she managed to present her sister Jennie with a ten-shilling note on her tenth birthday. This kind of generosity typified Ann’s kindness to others throughout her life.
When she was twelve Ann was suddenly posted off to spend three months with her dad's aunt in Paris. No explanation was ever offered for this somewhat bizarre occurrence but the family discovered decades later that aunty wanted to show the local courts that she needed to renew the lease on her flat as she was responsible for her nephew's young child.
The lease having been obtained, Ann's services were no longer needed and she was sent home 'for Christmas', not realising she would be staying and having to fit back in at school after a whole term in a French establishment. Somewhat disappointed at having to leave the comparative luxury of Paris, Ann drew consolation from being top of the class in French, a language that helped her obtain a well-paid job a few years later at the International Telephone Exchange.
Ann was one of the first young women to learn how to drive and buy her own car. She even helped her dad learn how to drive.
When she was fifteen the family moved to a new home in a different part of the borough and Ann became interested in the boy next door, who in common with her dad was also named George. History repeated itself and the two married and moved to a flat nearby.
In due course two sons, Mike and Rob, arrived on the scene and the family settled on the Isle of Sheppey, where Ann continued to work to help support the family, with jobs varying from cleaning the pub up the road, through managing a shop at a nearby holiday village to keeping the accounts for a retail business in Sheerness.
Life was often challenging but Ann always put her boys first and did the best she could for them. She was keen that they obtain a good education and in order to access better schools, she and George relocated the family to Lincolnshire. Ann was very proud of her sons’ achievements and delighted in the occasions when the two of them could spend time together with her.
Ann's first marriage came to an end and she went on to re-marry, this time to a fellow BT engineer named Tom. She was one of the first women BT engineers in the Boston area, an achievement looked upon with some degree of envy by those who could not pass the necessary exams.
She and Tom settled down together in the village of Peakirk, near Peterborough. Unfortunately, after a few happy years together, Ann's second husband passed away after a long illness. Ann helped his son come to terms with the loss and always considered RJ (or ‘Bob’) to be a third son to her. She was very fond of both RJ and his son Adam and they took some wonderful holidays together over the years.
Ann loved spending time with her family, joining either of her sons, her stepson or her sister Jennie on many adventures at home and overseas. She was also a very good and loyal friend and she enjoyed strong friendships with several of her neighbours in the village, where she was also a parish councillor for a time.
She will be greatly missed by all those who loved her.
donated £20 in memory of Ann
For Grannie Annie, with love from Adam x
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wrote
We have many lovely memories of time spent with Ann over the years. Adam loved Ann and always thoroughly enjoyed his visits and holidays with her and considered himself a very lucky boy to have an additional grandmother. In more recent years Bob would give him a variety of choices for their weekends away and more often than not he would reply that he wanted to see his Grannie Annie in Peterborough.
You are very much missed Ann, always in our thoughts.
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wrote
Sorry I can't be there.
Thinking of you all.
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is attending the funeral and the reception
posted a picture
Ann serving refreshments at Peakirk Village Litter Pick this Spring
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is attending the funeral
is attending the funeral and the reception
is attending the funeral
wrote
Ann was a lovely lady, always a friendly word, very kind and helpful to others in the village and a pleasure to know. She will be missed.
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is attending the funeral and the reception
posted a picture
posted a picture
posted a picture
is attending the funeral and the reception
posted a picture
posted a picture
posted a picture
posted a picture
posted a picture
posted a picture
posted a picture
posted a picture
posted a picture
posted a picture
posted a picture
posted a picture
posted a picture
posted a picture
posted a picture
Ann serving refreshments at Peakirk Village Litter Pick this Spring
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