Lorraine Shrimpton 1939 - 2015

Lorraine was born in 1939 in Wolverton, Buckinghamshire. She was educated in Wolverton passing her 13 plus to attend the commercial section of Wolverton Technical College. Her first job was in the back office of the Coop at Newport Pagnell either cycling there from Wolverton or going by steam train. She later transferred to the Coop at Wolverton. Lorraine met Ken at a fair in Stony Stratford and they were married in Stony Stratford in March 1958. Within a few months they had bought a house in Old Stratford where Lorraine worked as a secretary to the directors of the Deanshanger Oxide Works. After 7 years Jane was born followed by Phil, Lorraine spent the next few years a full time mum.
 
When the family moved to Felmersham in 1973, Lorraine had various jobs including working as a school secretary at Harrold Middle School and the Careers Office in Bedford. Finally Lorraine found a job that matched her managerial and organisational skills when she became a Senior Administration Officer responsible for a team who organised teacher training courses from offices in Maryland, Woburn. As a result Lorraine became very well known by staff in schools throughout Bedfordshire.
 
Lorraine was an active member of Pinchmill Players Theatre Group where she directed several plays and also acted in one or two productions. Lorraine had the ability to visualise the production in her mind’s eye and then create and successfully direct her vision into a full stage production. Lorraine had the ability to write humorous poems which were read out on special occasions and at weekends away with friends. She was an avid reader, reading at least a book a week and was a member of the local Book Club.

In retirement Lorraine had two main hobbies, art and flower arranging. She attended the Art Group meetings at Pinchmill where she became a reasonable artist although she always described her paintings as "crap". However her real love was flower arranging in church where she organised a small group of ladies into keeping the church always decorated with flowers. She organised several flower festivals in the church. Lorraine was a former Trustee of the Community Trust and for many years edited Ouse News, always trying to make it a readable magazine for all members of the community. In recent years she organised several special services at St Mary's. She loved to create and organise and had a talent for both. She was very interested in national politics always keeping up to date by watching political programmes on the television.
 
Lorraine died from Motor Neurone Disease, an incredibly cruel and merciless disease which takes away the ability to talk, to walk, to eat and to breathe.
 
Lorraine had many friends within the parish and we will all miss her wonderful sense of fun and great sense of humour. She was a dear wife, mother and grandmother who was always there for the family. Lorraine and Ken were happily married for 57 years with a strong bond of love and friendship. She will be sadly missed by everyone but most of all by her family and her husband, Ken.

Lorraine Shrimpton, 1984
 

Lorraine Shrimpton, April 2014

Lorraine with granddaughters, Klagenfurt, Austria,
 June 2013

Lorraine with grandsons James and Andrew and daughter Jane, on the occasion of James' marriage to Nicola.
April 2014.

Constance was born in 1920 in Newcastle upon Tyne of Lancashire and Yorkshire parents, she had two brothers and two sisters.
 
During her teenage years she had several jobs, including working in a nursery school. When war was declared she worked in a munitions factory, testing the clockwork that went into munitions. At the age of twenty she had tuberculosis and had to spend 9 months in a sanatorium. After leaving the sanatorium she got married and started work in the fashion industry. At the age of 25 she adopted a twin boy and girl. Her health was not good and she had to return to the sanatorium. She eventually returned to work in fashion and London where she enjoyed a high social life meeting, amongst others, Princess Margaret, Anthony Armstrong Jones, Nat King Cole, Ray Charles, Judy Garland, Roger Moore, Shirley Bassey, Jimmy Young, Muriel Young and even attended Cliff Richard’s 21st birthday party. She also looked after a live kangaroo for Rolf Harris, who was making his record “Tie me kangaroo down”.
 
Constance and Muriel Young were good friends and it was through their friendship that Constance fell in love with the Algarve where she bought a vineyard and built a villa. She commuted to the UK to continue working in fashion and married for a second time. She eventually returned to the UK and made her home in Felmersham. Constance learned to garden and loved taking her dog for a walk. Constance spent the last few years in Sharnbrook House where she passed away on 14th October 2015, age 95 years.