Jean Williams (4 Dec 1942 - 28 Aug 2026)

Rest in peace Jean

Enjoyed walking with Jean on a Wednesday. Jean was always amusing and interesting. God bless.

I really enjoyed Jean's company on our Swallows walks. A fun filled and lovely lady. God bless.

A wonderful farewell to Jean today. So many happy memories of you Jean, fun loving and vivacious, my fellow ladybird and book club friend, although you never quite finished the book!!! May you rest in peace now x x

Thanks for giving me my first proper job and having faith in me. Such a great person. I’ll think of you every time I drive down middle Street.

A wonderful charity to support, you will be sorely missed by so many.

Jean, you were always so much fun to be with! I regret that, during latter years, I did not see enough of you. You will be very much missed.

Further thoughts. Patience was not one of Jean’s virtues. She expected people as well as buses to run on time. I learned this early in our relationship when I arrived at 6.34 after saying I would be over at 6.30. Jean liked to look good and took trouble with her clothes and make-up but she was never extravagant. Perhaps this was a common trait with war babies. She loved eating out but did not seek out Michelin-star restaurants. As long as the service was good she was happy with a Cote or Giggling Squid. After Haxted Mill, her venue of choice for special occasions was Jeremy’s at Borde Hill. Jean loved animals, particularly her beloved Persian cat, Salome. If a television advert came on depicting cruelty to any animal, she made me change the channel temporarily or silence the sound.

A few years after I lost my wife to cancer, I realised that I needed someone else with whom to share my life.
Finding Jean was a great blessing. Jean was loving, kind,sociable and extremely attractive. Although she
lived in Brockham, Jean participated fully in my life in Capel, playing regularly in our informal boules group
(where we first met), enjoying Flix in the Stix, stewarding at the flower show, walking with the Swallows,
celebrating New Year’s Eve together with a group of friends, having fun annually in Ferring with members of
the tennis club (courtesy of Frances and Clive) where we spent all day playing competitive poo sticks,, silly
games and building sandcastles , coming to Men’s group Ladies nights and barbecues and so on.
Outside the village, the U3A played a big part in Jean’s life. Aided by a small group of friends, she organised
Days Out for several years, taking coachloads of members to London and all over the South East. On
one trip to Whitstable I recall her taking two full coaches, and got everyone back safely.-quite a
responsibility. She introduced me to the Singing for Pleasure Group, was a member of Art and Architecture
Groups, and an original member of the Military History Group until being lured away by the local Paracise
exercise class held at the same time. We also went on several residential holidays, both in this country and
to Switzerland and Greece. Jean was proud of starting and building a successful TableTennis Group at the
Christian Centre in Dorking, where she had previously volunteered cooking lunches..
Jean enjoyed concerts and musicals both in Dorking and the West End. We attended dozens of excellent
productions in the DDOS Green Room as well as being Friends of the Dorking Halls,enjoying many concerts
and screenings. Our first date was a Leith Hill Festival first performance of a work by Carl Davis. Further
afield Jean was a member of the DPOG and went all over the place with Neil Edeson. We were both
members of the local Watermill Jazz club, with its weekly concerts by national and international groups, but
Jean focussed on vocalists.
Jean would have excelled on Mastermind with a specialist subject of 1940s films . Even recently she could
recall all storylines and actors.Although not a sports fan, Jean liked coming to Wimbledon with me and
enjoyed several pre-match lunches at Dorking Rugby Club without ever staying to watch the game.Jean loved
her little book group even if she never read the book.
For the last seven years we have enjoyed singing with the wonderfully supportive Ladybirds choir, and Jean
liked to attend the local W.I (now Brockham Village Ladies ), Wednesday Club.and Nocturne Supper Club
classical music evenings. Jean loved European river cruises and holidaying in New England (especially
Nantucket),as well as Spain, France and Italy.
Jean had a strong Christian faith, praying nightly without fail and attending Church weekly, first at St Mary’s
Pixham with its tiny congregation and then at Christ Church Brockham.
The Covid pandemic had a profound affect on Jean, causing extreme levels of anxiety and loss of
confidence. Falls, broken bones and a Parkinson’s diagnosis followed, but she kept bouncing back, with the
help of key carers. It was a terrible shock when she failed to do so this time, but she had struggled for a
while to enjoy life fully and we pray that she has now found her happy place.
This tribute is long, but I could not bring myself to speak at her funeral.

Jean you will be missed ,i loved seeing you when we met up at choir .R.I.P .Dear Jean.
Thinking of all that loved Jean at this sad time.