Muriel Stuart (14 Feb 1921 - 18 Sep 2016)

In loving memory of Muriel Stuart, granny and great-grandmother, who sadly passed away on 18th September 2016.

Muriel was one of twelve children born to Edward and Victoria Atkinson. As the second of seven daughters, she had her fair share (at least!) of helping to look after the younger ones, punctuated by the odd mishap like the time she and her sister 'forgot' Fred and left him in the pram in Regent's Park. She left school at 14 and went to work for Helen Stuart Ltd., a clothing company in Ramillies Street, just off Oxford Street. She and her sister Frances stayed on at Helen Stuart's after war broke out and one time, during the blitz, she lost her wage packet on the way home. Muriel and Frances retraced their steps until they found it by a bench they had sat at. The prospect of getting home without her wages to hand over to mum was far worse than the bombs falling as they searched.

Muriel joined the ATS as a cook for the troops at Tunbridge Wells. At the end of the war she returned to Helen Stuart's. There, after some matchmaking by a fellow seamstress, she had her first date with the boss's brother Norman. They arranged to meet at Trafalgar Square to watch the arrival of the first Christmas Tree that was sent as a gift from Norway.

Muriel married Norman on 19th June 1950 and they lived in Daventry for a while before moving to Linden Hill in Berkshire. They had two sons, Rowan and Malcolm, who grew up at Linden Hill, which was an unusual family home. Something of a stately pile, it was bought by the extended Stuart family as a home and a second business location. The main house was home to Norman's mother and three of Norman's sisters and their spouses; his brother Arthur and his wife lived in the flat and Norman and Muriel lived in the cottage. Muriel ran the workroom at Linden Hill, while the others commuted to the London premises in Ramillies Street. Norman continued his own business, the wrought iron (blacksmith) work that began in Daventry and he started a chicken farm, selling the eggs in local villages.

With the passing of time the boys grew up and left home, the Stuart family moved the entire business to Linden Hill and eventually retired and sold up in 1979. Muriel and Norman moved to Kettering and sadly Norman died soon afterwards at the age of 77. Muriel moved back to Twyford in Berkshire in 1986, where she made new friends and renewed old friendships. She became a grandmother and made regular trips to Scotland to see Rowan and the grandchildren. In 2001 she moved to Ashtead in Surrey to be near Malcolm and his family. She joined the local Townswomen's Guild and made a new circle of friends, but still kept in touch with some of her "girls" from the workroom, many of whom were grandmothers themselves now.

At the time of her passing at the age of 95, Muriel had seven grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. Family was very important to her and she is sorely missed by them all and by her many friends. A kind and loving lady, may she rest in peace.