BRIDGET CRACROFT-ELEYLord Lieutenant of Lincolnshire Bridget Cracroft-Eley died on 29 August, 2008, aged 74 after a long illness.Mrs Cracroft-Eley, who lived at the Hackthorn Hall estate, near Lincoln, had been suffering from a brain tumour and had latterly been a patient at the city’s St Barnabas Hospice.Representati ves of many county organisations with which she was involved have spoken of her kindness and tireless enthusiasm.And the deputy Lord Lieutenant Tony Worth, who will take over as the Queen’s representative in the county in October, paid tribute to the way Mrs Cracroft-Eley applied her unique personality to the role.“In the 13 years since I have known her she put her own stamp on the title which she inherited from Sir Henry Nevile,” he said.“She was president or patron of so many charities, as well as High Steward of the Cathedral and honorary Colonel of the Army Cadet Force.“She also had a close relationship with the RAF in Lincolnshire and was held in high esteem by successive members of ‘the chain gang’.“In succeeding her I will find it a difficult act to follow.”Hackthorn Hall estate administrator Mrs Frances Buckle said: “There were many sides to Mrs Cracroft-Eley’s remarkable character.“She will be remembered as having compassion for people from all walks of life and for her wonderful sense of humour.“She showed as high a level of commitment to her staff and their families as she did to her county.”In 1997 Mrs Cracroft-Eley was appointed as High Steward of Lincoln Cathedral.The Very Rev Philip Buckler, Dean of Lincoln, said: “She took her role seriously in the preservation and care of this remarkable building.”Miss Pearl Wheatley, of the Society for Lincolnshire History and Archaeology, of which the Lord Lieutenant was a patron, described Mrs Cracroft-Eley as a ‘lovely lady’.“She was so much more than just a figurehead – she used to get really involved,” Miss Wheatley said.“Once when the Lord Lieutenant was having lunch with us there was no spoon laid for her dessert, so she simply got up without any fuss and fetched one for herself.“She would never expect to be waited on.“We all loved her – she was an absolutely super lady.”Mrs Cracroft-Eley’s husband Robert died in 1996.She leaves two children, William and Annabel, and grandchildren.
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