WINNIE Stannard, a devoted wife and mother who endured her husband's long years of absence while a Japanese PoW, has died..She was for many years a devout member of Magdalen Way Methodist Church in Gorleston where she regularly played the piano for church services and functions, and when younger the organ too.
WINNIE Stannard, a devoted wife and mother who endured her husband's long years of absence while a Japanese PoW, has died..
She was for many years a devout member of Magdalen Way Methodist Church in Gorleston where she regularly played the piano for church services and functions, and when younger the organ too.
She was born in Gorleston, at 42 John Road, to her father Job (known as Jo), a butcher in Baker Street, and to her mother Katy. She was the eldest of the family, having a brother Leslie and two sisters Kathy and Joan. She attended Stradbroke School for Girls and then took the position of machinist at Johnsons clothing factory in Englands Lane where she received all requisite training for her work.
She married her husband Walter in 1940 in Haddiscoe Parish Church, the village where her parents-in-law were living. Walter was called up for national service and Winnie started married life at her parents' home at 42 John Road.
Sadly, her husband was torpedoed on a troop ship on his way to the Far East. He was imprisoned in Burma where he was confirmed in Rangoon Cathedral. Throughout the war he was a prisoner of war of the Japanese, being liberated in 1945, but on his return he was emaciated, malnourished and unwell.
Winnie devoted herself to restoring her husband's health. She gave birth to a son Michael in 1946 and a second son Trevor in 1955. Later, after some period of recuperation, Walter took a position as a baker at Messrs Matthes in Englands Lane on the night shift.
Winnie dedicated herself to the care of her husband and two sons. Her husband died in 2002 but Winnie remained at John Road, where she enjoyed knitting, reading and playing the piano, and regularly worshipped at Magdalen Way Methodist Church.
In her declining years she attended the Humberstone Day Centre and later Rosewood Day Centre, She was subsequently looked after by carers at home and by a neighbour. She died in the James Paget University Hospital on July 30.
She is survived by her two sisters Kathy and Joan, her sons and two grandsons.
Caroline Buddery
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