Former Fritton correspondent, 86, dies

THE death of Sheila Mary Goodrich occurred on December 17. The former Fritton Village Life correspondent for the Mercury was 86.

Sheila was born on 10 August 1923 at Retford in Nottinghamshire, the only girl in a family of four children. She had one older brother and two younger brothers who all pre-deceased her.

It was at Kings Park in Retford that she met her husband Sidney Goodrich when he was evacuated, aged 16, to Retford with Great Yarmouth Grammar School. She was then working as a switchboard operator at Clark's Dye Works in Retford while Sidney who was called up aged 18, became a navigator in the RAF, mainly in Lancaster Bombers.

They married in 1944 at St Swithin's Church in Retford. Their daughter Ann was born in January 1946 at Mount Vernon Nursing Home. At the end of that year Sidney Goodrich brought his wife and daughter back to Yarmouth, where they lived in Harley Road.

Their son Jonathan was born in March 1949 at the Sandown Nursing Home.

Meanwhile, Sidney underwent teacher training at St Catherine's Collge, Cambridge, and in the early 1950s he began a long and distinguished career at Wroughton Junior School in Gorleston, where he particularly enjoyed teaching football and became very involved in sports activities in the borough.

Sheila devoted herself first to raising her young family and then, when her children were older, took employment at Erie Resistor and later at Birds Eye.

Sidney retired in his late fifties and he and his wife then moved to Pinetrees, Fritton, where for a while Sheila was the Fritton correspondent for the Yarmouth Mercury.

Sidney died on 23 December 23 1997 following a bypass operation.

In 1998 Sheila moved to Clover Way in Bradwell but her health gradually deteriorated and at the end of 2008 she suffered a severe stroke. She was admitted to the Elms Nursing Home in Gorleston where she died peacefully in her sleep.

Sheila Goodrich leaves a daughter and son, six grandchildren and ten great-grandchildren.

C Buddery