Hilda Thompson (13 Feb 1930 - 13 Mar 2025)

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HildaHavens Hospices, Southend

£80.00 + Gift Aid of £20.00
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Funeral Director

Location
Holy Family Catholic Church Benfleet Benfleet High Road Benfleet SS7 5SF
Date
25th Apr 2025
Time
11.30am
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Location
Basildon Crematorium Church Road Basildon SS13 2HG
Date
25th Apr 2025
Time
4.30pm

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Hilda was born in February 1930, the third of four children of William and Gladys Smith of Barking. Her father died when she was only a toddler and her younger brother was only a baby. Nearly a hundred years later, the difficulty of bringing up four young children in the early 1930s can only be imagined. It is clear that Mum inherited much of her determination and resilience from her mother Gladys.

In 1939 the family was evacuated to Chinnor in the Chiltern Hills and then, in 1941, she was evacuated again with her secondary school, the Ilford Ursuline, to Newquay in Cornwall. Newquay was, in every sense of the word, a distance from Barking and Mum did not see the rest of her family again until 1943 when the school returned to East London.

On leaving school she worked as a Shorthand Typist at Royal Mail Lines in the city. This was where she met John Thompson, universally known as Tom or Tommy, who was a Shipping Clerk. They were married in 1955 and moved to Gidea Park. They moved to a new house in Golf Ride, Benfleet in 1964 because a Catholic Primary School was to be opened there. Having been involved with the school and a parish playgroup at the old St. John Bosco Hall, Hilda started training as a primary teacher in 1970. Her first teaching post was at Holy Family Primary in September 1972.

In her first term, on the night of 1st to 2nd November, Tom died following a heart attack. Hilda always thanked God that this happened after she had started work so that she had some financial wherewithal. She was also comforted by his death occurring on All Souls Day and by the support of the extended family. Her teaching career progressed through other schools in the diocese at Hutton, as Deputy Head, and then Dagenham, as Headteacher. She retired in 1992 and set about seeing more of the world.

In 2000, Hilda had a brush with mortality when she was diagnosed with a potentially terminal cancer. She underwent what was, at the time, risky surgery because she wanted to see her Grandchildren grow up. She did and played endless games of all kinds with them, went on holidays with them, attended school events, graduations and a wedding, all the while radiating pride.

Hilda was fiercely independent and utterly determined to continue to live in the bungalow off Croft Road she had moved to in 1994. During 2024 she became increasingly frail. In the Autumn she became quite unwell and, as one problem was solved, another popped up. She came home for the last two weeks of her life and died peacefully there at about 7.25 AM, exactly one month after her 95th birthday.

We know that she leaves a big hole in the lives of many more than just us. We wish that you all revere a life well lived and treasure her regular irreverence

Havens Hospices wrote

We are deeply saddened by the loss of dear Hilda. We feel honoured to have cared for her.
Our thoughts and hearts are with the family and loved ones during this difficult time.
Sending comfort and strength.

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David Thompson donated £30 in memory of Hilda

Sleep well Mum

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Anne Teer donated £50 in memory of Hilda

In memory of a dear friend

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