Audrey McClelland (7 Aug 1949 - 26 Sep 2026)

Audrey Frances McClelland

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our much-loved Audrey Frances McClelland, of Locks Heath, Southampton, aged 77. Audrey passed on 26th September 2026.

At the centre of Audrey’s life was Derek, her husband of 53 years.

For more than half a century, Mum and Dad shared their lives together. They built a home, raised a family, watched their children grow and, in time, had the enormous pleasure of seeing that family grow again through their grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Their marriage was the foundation of the family we have today.

Audrey was a devoted wife to Derek. After 53 years of marriage, they had shared so much more than simply the big occasions in life. They shared the ordinary days, the family celebrations, the difficult times, the laughter, the friendships and all of the experiences that come from spending a lifetime together.

Mum was loving, caring and incredibly compassionate. She cared deeply about the people around her and was always interested in what was happening in the lives of those she loved.

But Mum also loved life.

She was incredibly sociable and could quite easily be the life and soul of the party. She loved being around people, talking, laughing and enjoying herself. She brought warmth and energy to family occasions and social gatherings, and that part of her personality will be remembered by so many people who knew her.

Mum and Dad’s family was enormously important to her. She was mother to Paula, Tracey and Andrew and an incredibly proud grandmother to Jonathan, Sophie, Darren, Sam, Mark, Lewis, Charlotte, Courtney, Thomas, Johannes and Alys.

She was also a very proud great-grandmother to seven great-grandchildren.

Watching the family that she and Dad started all those years ago grow across the generations gave Mum enormous pride. Her grandchildren and great-grandchildren were a huge part of her life, and she loved hearing about what they were doing and watching them grow.

For us, however, one of the greatest things Mum leaves behind is the life that she and Dad created together.

Fifty-three years of marriage cannot adequately be captured in a few paragraphs. It is a lifetime of shared experiences and memories, of raising a family, building a home and simply being there alongside one another through everything that life brought their way.

For Dad, Mum was his wife, his companion and the person with whom he shared 53 years of his life.

For me, she was simply Mum — a constant presence throughout my life, someone whose love, care and support were always there and whose absence will be felt more than words can express.

In the later years of her life, Mum also carried the loss of her much-loved daughter Paula. Paula remained very much in her heart, and her memory was always a part of Mum and the family.

There is now an enormous space in our family that cannot be filled. But there is also a lifetime of memories and a family spanning generations that exists because of the life Mum and Dad built together.

After 53 years side by side, that is an extraordinary legacy.

A devoted wife to Derek, a much-loved Mum, a proud grandmother and great-grandmother, and a warm, caring and wonderfully sociable woman who will be deeply missed by her family and friends.

Funeral Service & Celebration of Audrey’s Life

Audrey’s family warmly welcomes everyone who knew and loved her to join us in saying goodbye and celebrating her life.

The funeral service will take place at 1:00pm on Wednesday 14 October at:

Portchester Crematorium
Upper Cornaway Lane
Portchester, Hampshire
PO16 8NE

Following the service, everyone is warmly invited to join the family from 2:30pm for a Celebration of Audrey’s Life at:

Skylark Country Club
Skylark Meadows
Whiteley, Fareham
PO15 6TJ

We would love for family and friends to join us as we come together to remember Audrey, share our memories and celebrate the life of a very special wife, Mum, grandmother, great-grandmother and friend.