Doris May Lacey

This is my dear "Auntie Dorrie" who didn't quite make it to her 100th birthday.

Auntie died aged 99 at the Burnham Nursing Centre on Saturday 3rd March (2007). She had lived independently and alone in her own home from the time she was widowed in 1969 until just four years ago at the age of 95.

Her sight was failing but her love of people, of talking and most of all her love of extended family was obvious to all who knew her. For all these last four years she was unable to enjoy reading, unable to watch her television and unable to enjoy the photographs of her family and friends. But she did enjoy recalling memories and telling stories of her family life stretching back to before the First World War.

She was born in Croydon, a surviving twin, in 1908 to George and Florence Allen and was one of nine children. The family were firstly Dick, then Stan (also known as Tom), Win, Frank, then Dorrie (+ her twin, who died an infant), then followed by Les, Cecil, and Hilda (known as Bobbie). With such a large family she spent much of her time with grandparents, aunts and uncles and remembers Rosehill Cottage in Oxfordshire – the Allen family home. Dorrie didn’t speak to her Grandad Allen – she thought he didn’t like children. Her Grandad Allen was a preacher at the chapel near Caversham and terrified her with his long white beard! The Rosehill Cottage that the young Dorrie stayed at with her grandparents every summer had an orchard and Dorrie would take Grandad’s apples to her friends in Emmer Green and got told off by Granny (as Grandad didn’t talk to her). She remembered climbing the fence by the meadow and chasing rabbits by herself. That meadow of the First World War years is long gone and replaced by a new road called Allen’s Way and a modern housing estate now. She remembered the food shortages and how her brothers and sisters were grateful for some of the Rosehill rabbits!

Dorrie loved all her family throughout her long life – this probably started with the close friendship she had with her maternal grandmother – known to us all through Dorrie’s stories as Granny Marlow. Dorrie would go to the station to meet Granny when she visited on Sundays. Dorrie would be disappointed if she didn’t arrive on the train before church as the trains stopped during morning service so she would have to go back after church to meet her on the later train. Sometimes she took Dorrie back with her during the holidays to stay in the grand house in London where she worked as a housekeeper. The family that Dorrie’s granny worked for had a large home in Kensington. When the family was away Granny Marlow was in charge of the London house and allowed Dorrie to play the grand piano there. When Dorrie went on the train up to London with Granny Marlow she was always frightened when going through Crystal Palace tunnel so she would sit with her fingers crossed in the dark until coming out the other end! Her travelling adventures as a young child continued in adult life as she left school at the early age of 12 to go to work – first in a local drapers’ shop for just five shillings a week, then in London and later in Canada.

Dorrie recently recalled how she met her very first boyfriend. She and her brother Leslie would go along to look around and play in the local workshops of the wheelwright Ernest Creasey where her father was a master wheelwright. It was here she met Mr Creasey’s young son but her hopes were dashed when he went off to Australia to become a missionary! It was the events of the 1920’s that shaped her future life. She had become engaged to a young merchant banker called Monty who worked in the city. However, she had attracted another admirer who was to become her future husband. Dorrie broke off her engagement to Monty soon after meeting this young man - David Lacey. But when David said he would not marry before he was 30 she decided that she would not wait for him!

As Dorrie’s brother Stan was in Ontario, Canada, she ran away to join her brother. Dorrie briefly stayed with Stan in Ontario where she would take a tram to her work. It was a long journey so eventually she got a place of her own. Later she moved to Toronto working for a big firm where she was second-in-charge of their offices. Later Dorrie became the manager when the boss transferred to New York. She stayed for a year and was saving for her fare for her eventual return. However – fate intervened as she received a family telegram saying “Mother needs you”. She sailed back to England and David Lacey found out the ship’s details and arrived at the family home to see her on the very day of her return. David was an optician and encouraged Dorrie to take her holidays to come and see him at his shop in Liverpool. She scarcely needed any encouragement for she packed her bags and went up there permanently! They spent 7 years in Liverpool from 1931. David went there first and stayed on the Wirral – he was an optician at Dollond & Aitchinsons in Liverpool. She followed and he met her on arrival and remarked “That’s a heavy case you’ve got there!” and she said “I’m staying” so he told her “we’d better get married then!”. They married in 1931 living in Liverpool, then London.

Their first home on moving back to London was a flat near Finchley. She remembered the barrage balloons going up and having to make blackout curtains. Bombs fell nearby and they finally settled in Pinner where Dorrie was widowed in 1969 after having nursed Uncle David through a long illness. Dorrie had no children of her own and was required to work during the war years – she took a job with the railways working at several stations on the LMS lines from Euston. She expected to lose her job when the war was over but the railways would not let her go: she was promoted to Euston where she eventually worked as a personnel officer until the late 1960’s.

She remembered first using her vote when living in Pinner – she wasn’t much interested in politics and would save up any questions about things she didn’t understand to ask Uncle David! Throughout their long and contented marriage Dorrie and David loved to travel and they saw a lot of Europe. Much of this travelling was done by train and boat at a time when air travel was an out-of-reach expensive luxury! During her widowed years she continued to travel – sometimes abroad with her brother Cecil. In this country she would think nothing of using her railway worker’s pass to jump on a long distance train to visit family and friends.

She may have left school at the tender age of 12 but she was clever and continued to learn throughout her long life. She learned to drive and bought her first car in her late 50’s. she learned to play bridge in her 60’s, she travelled independently in her 70’s, learned to cope with hearing loss and a hearing aid in her 80’s and used her fine memory to entertain her family during her blindness which came in her 90’s.

Dorrie will be missed by all who knew and loved her. We remember her interest in all we did, her unfailing celebration of all our birthdays and anniversaries and most of all her love for us. She may not have had any children of her own but she most certainly had a family to call her own.