Mary Portsmouth

TROWBRIDGE born and bred, Mrs Mary June Portsmouth died peacefully at the Royal United Hospital on March 12, aged 81.

Mrs Portsmouth, nee Hervin, was born on June 18, 1933 and attended Nelson Haden Secondary Modern School in the town until she was 16.

She met her best friend and future husband, Edward Portsmouth, at a Sunday school rally in Trowbridge park when they were just 10 years old. From that point onwards, their blossoming friendship grew into romance.

With Mr Portsmouth attending the nearby boy’s school, the pair would only ever be able to talk through the railings that divided the institutions. They went on to become reliant on each other’s company in the years to come.

When they both left school, the couple got local jobs, with Mr Portsmouth working for the police and Mrs Portsmouth working for War Rag as a filing clerk.

A few years later, in June 1952, they got married at Holy Trinity Church in Trowbridge before moving around Wiltshire because of Mr Portsmouth’s job, living in Chippenham, Corsham, Swindon and Salisbury. As a true “Wiltshire lass”, Mrs Portsmouth refused to move outside her beloved Wiltshire county.

They had five children, and Mrs Portsmouth gave up work to bring them up. Once they were of school age, she returned to work as a dinner lady at Ivy Lane School in Chippenham in the late 1960s, before moving on to St Paul's School in the town. She then worked at Regis School in Corsham until she retired.

It was her love of her own children which led her to become a dinner lady and she will be remembered by hundreds of pupils for brightening up their lunchtimes between 1960-80.

Along with her husband, Mrs Portsmouth had many hobbies post-retirement including archery and skittles and she played frequently in Corsham.

Since their very first meeting, Mrs Portsmouth was known to quietly 'wear the trousers' in the couple’s relationship. The pair celebrated their diamond wedding anniversary in 2012 when they were joined by their children, 17 grandchildren, 43 great-grandchildren and two great-great grandchildren.

They enjoyed 62 years of married life before Mr Portsmouth, who was more commonly known as Ted, died seven weeks ago.

Her family say that since then Mrs Portsmouth spoke fondly of the life she and her husband had enjoyed together.

Her funeral will take place on Tuesday at the West Wiltshire Crematorium at Semington at 4.45pm. Donations in her memory can be made to the intensive therapy unit at the RUH.