Edna Rose Reynolds (2 Mar 1924 - 3 Jul 2025)

In loving memory of Edna Rose Reynolds who passed away peacefully on 3rd July 2025.

Edna Jones was born in Woolwich, Kent on 2nd March 1924, the middle child of five. She attended a special school due to a hole in the heart which at the time was considered to restrict her life choices and length. The Headmistress of the school spotted a bright and talented pupil and encouraged her in many ways, not least in being able to help other pupils learn and create. These early experiences appear to have set Edna on a path of helping and inspiring others, being health conscious, and becoming defiant and strong willed.

Her teenage years were disrupted first by the death of her father in 1936, and then by the war in 1939, with Woolwich becoming a common target for bombing. She was not evacuated, but instead assisted in many ways, including working in the Woolwich Arsenal.

After a number of administrative jobs in the post war years, including working in the Arsenal and for Matchless Motorcycles in Plumstead, she met Fred Reynolds and they jointly took up teacher training.

Edna married Fred in 1947 at Eltham, and after working as a qualified teacher in the South East London area, they decided to move to Hastings to avoid the London smogs of the time. After Hastings, Edna and Fred took on a village school at Anstey in Hertfordshire, where their only son Christopher was born. Various teaching jobs followed including Downfield school in Cheshunt, Eastcote in Welling and finally a long period at Westwood Infant school in Welling.

When Edna retired she threw herself into Family History, and was a key member of the Woolwich & District Family History Society, inspiring many people to learn more about their family histories. In 1989 the first of three granddaughters was born, and she reveled in being back as an early years’ teacher, playing a big part in the development of Alison, Emily and Jennifer.

Her husband Fred passed away in 2008, and Edna continued to live in their home at Bexley, Kent until she fell and broke her hip in 2017, subsequently moving to Dorset following a hip replacement. The loss of independence was somewhat frustrating for her, and eventually she lost much of her sight through macular degeneration. But her values prevailed and she always wanted to help others, and to remain independent.
Edna was much loved by so many people, from many walks of life, and she leaves many legacies from her energy and enthusiasm over a lifetime of hard work and giving.

She enjoyed her 100th birthday with many visitors celebrating in Weymouth, and was the proud great grandmother to Imogen and Zach.

Edna Reynolds passed away peacefully on 3rd July 2025 at the age of 101 at a care home in Weymouth, Dorset. The cause of death was “Stroke, Frailty of Old Age”.

The funeral will take place at Eltham Crematorium, Falconwood, Welling on 30th July 2025 at 2:45pm.

Family flowers only. Black Dress Optional. Please wear what you feel most comfortable in.

Any donations please, to the Alzheimer’s Society (www.alzheimers.org.uk) a charity that had an impact on Edna’s life in helping her nurse Fred in the later years of his life, or to the Macular Society whose work helped Edna when she went through treatment for Macular Degeneration.