Mary Calvert (20 Sep 1923 - 7 Mar 2020)

We are sad to announce the death of Mary Calvert, wife of Prebendary Ian Calvert. A former Church Commissioner, member of the General Synod, on the board of the British Council of Churches, a governor of St John’s College Durham and an oblate at All Hallows’ Ditchingham.
During her career she was a head teacher, started a School for English students in Chennai (formerly Madras) a lecturer at Dudley College of Further Education, a theologian, an author and had studied ancient Greek.
Latterly she had lived at Bromley and Shepperd’s College in Bromley, where she was a valued member of the community. Treasurer right from the start of The Friends (retired from that role in 2011), an archivist, she was also a contributor of facts and points of history to many. As an archivist, she instigated the formalisation and documentation of the wealth of information and history about Bromley College which she then handed over to Kathleen Craig.
Known as Mary, Mamma and " Granny" to many, I, her daughter Maggie, have lost an indomitable and amazing Mamma.
It was hard to keep up with all her exploits, she was a very diverse lady. She was an author, photographer, traveller as well as being very involved with parish life supporting her husband Ian, my father.
As an author she wrote “Enterprising Americans” – (Outstanding Christian Women of the Nineteenth Century) and “God to enfold me” amongst others and retold many classics in simpler form for students learning English- like Wuthering Heights and Robinson Crusoe, to name but two, in Macmillan S.T.R. series.
As a photographer, she has an amazing record of her various travels plus a lovely family record of the grandchildren growing up on disc.
As a traveller, she lived in India (where I spent some of my childhood), the continent, Australia, where she went to visit her sister, Lorna, many times. She attended, as a church representative, the World Council of Churches in Canberra and in Zimbabwe.
As well as skiing in Switzerland (well into her 80s), she visited New Zealand, South America, Easter Island, Cook Island and the Falkland’s, many trips to France to stay with me and my family, and one family highlight was celebrating her 90th birthday in Canada, 11 of us! A memory so precious.
She was immensely proud of her 3 grandchildren, Su, Charlie & Alex - & she was enjoying observing the growing and development of her 6 great grandchildren – Miriam, Oscar, Harvey, Kitty, Elliot and Jack
In fact, throughout her life and work she enriched many lives, she will be greatly missed.
On a practical note, as we are living through strange and difficult times, we, as a family, have decided to have prayers and a committal at the Chapel of Rest, conducted by the Rev Jenny Ablett( from St Mary and St Peter's Church Barham Suffolk ) and a private cremation. When this crisis is over, we will be having a service of celebration and thanksgiving at St Mary and St Peter's Church Barham Suffolk, if you would like to have details please leave your name and either your telephone number and/or your e-mail address, so that we can contact you with information. Thank you for being in touch.

For funeral details please contact Andrew Bingham Independent Funeral Service on 01449-771666
St Mary and St Peter's Church Barham - Suffolk Rev Jenny Ablett