JoanRILEY(nee Waring) Passed away peacefully on Saturday, November 30th, while holding her daughter Alison’s hand, and listening to a CD of a birdsong, Joan aged 87 years of Great Harwood, was the dearly loved wife of the late Terry, much loved mum of Alison, dear sister to Derek and Kathleen, auntie and friend of many.
Joan was a former care home worker, where she helped to look after the elderly residents and also did kitchen and cleaning duties as well. She had a range of jobs over the years, including cotton weaver, factory canteen worker, hotel chamber maid and shop assistant. Joan was a keen animal lover, and the family home was known to have accommodated rabbits, budgies, hamsters, fish, cats, a dog, and even very temporarily a ferret, which survived on cat food until she managed to re-home it. Joan enjoyed visiting new places and took a trip to Russia in the 1970s during the age of communism when people from the West didn’t really go there. She also latterly enjoyed holidays in Greece, Italy and Spain with her husband Terry, where they enjoyed trying all the different foods and especially the cocktails! Joan was very sociable and a prolific reader, always at the library. She secretly possessed quite a dark humour, and would have been very amused if she had known that her room number at Spring Hill care home was 101, as in the George Orwell novel “Big Brother”. She was an optimist and fighter up to the end, and will be fondly remembered by many many people.
Joan’s funeral service will be held at Accrington Crematorium on Wednesday, December 18 at 12.20pm.
Family flowers only please, donations are being gratefully received in Joan’s memory on behalf of the Alzheimer’s Society. To make a donation please visit champfunerals.com/obituaries or send to Champ Funeral Services.
