MUCH-loved wife, mother, grandmother and great grandmother Eileen Underwood was remembered by friends and family on Friday when her funeral was held at West Wiltshire Crematorium.

Mrs Underwood, who was a stalwart of The Crown Centre, Devizes, died on January 20, aged 81, after a short illness.

She had inherited the neurological conditions Charcot Marie Tooth which affects nerve endings in the arms and legs, leading to a loss of sensation.

Her son Simon said: “This had an impact on day-to-day life with many simple tasks that many of take for granted such as picking things up and walking.

“It also gives nerve pain and fatigue but Eileen never complained about it, she just got on with it, and stayed as independent as she could until last December when she went into hospital. She didn’t pass away because of this condition, she was recently diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.

“Eileen was a very active member of the local community and over the years has been involved in the Operatic Society, Twinning Association, to name two and took in various German youngsters, one of whom, Rainer, stayed in touch and came over to attend Eileen’s funeral.

“For the last 20 years Eileen volunteered at The Crown Centre and thoroughly enjoyed her time there with Sam the manager and the other helpers, as she called them.”

Family and friends were joined by residents of Stanford Court, Devizes, where Mrs Underwood lived with her husband Bill, also a stalwart of the Devizes community. She was born in Melksham in 1935 to Bert and Mary Clark and attended schools in Melksham and Trowbridge.

She met Bill at a dance at a community centre where he was taking the entrance money and she thought him handsome. They married on February 8, 1956 and lived many years in West View Crescent before moving to Stanford Court in 1997.

They had three sons, David, who died in 2002, Matthew and Simon, seven grandchildren and three great grandchildren.