Elizabeth Hammond ACCOMPLISHEDartistElizabeth Hammond (85) had lived in Har- rietsham for 60 years. She was born in Southern Rhodesia but returned to England with her family as a child. Her early
years were spent at Tel- pits Farm in Grafty Green before the fam- ily settled in Harrietsham in 1951, at Holm Mill, though latterly she lived at Chippen- dayle Lodge care home. Elizabeth attended Maidstone College of Art and then studied at the Royal College of Art. She worked as a freelance illustrator for children's books and also taught formanyyears atMedway College of Art, where several of today's famous artists were her pupils, including Zandra Rhodes, Tracy Emin and Karen Millen.
Elizabeth belonged to the Cos-
tume Society, the Embroiderers' Guild and a church recording group. Shewas a keenmember of the National Trust. At a thanksgiving service at St
John the Baptist, the church was adorned with samples of Eliza- beth's wonderful art work.
Audrey Smith AUDREY Smith (80), who lived in Bearsted for 39 years, died re- cently in Maidstone Hospital. Audrey was married to Tony
for 61 years and they had two daughters, Judy and Janice, five grandchildren and one great grandchild. Audrey and Tony enjoyed
many foreign holidays together and in particular discovered the pleasures of cruising to many in- teresting destinations. Prior to retiring, Audrey worked for both KentAssociation of Boys Clubs and KCC.
John Hooper JOHN Hooper, whose job as a civic officer at Maidstone Coun- cil included driving the mayor’s car, has died, aged 72.
He had re-
tired in 2003 after 14 years in the job. John had
lived inGassons Road,Snodland, until a recent move to Hayling Is- land.
Former colleague DerekWick-
war said: “John was a larger than life character with a great sense of
We will remember
humour.” John had survived a serious
health scare – when he had to have a leg amputated – only to succumb to cancer earlier this month.
Keith Hammond KEITH Martin Hammond (63) had worked for Page&Wells es- tate agents for 39 years, most of them based in the Loose of- fice.
Page & Wells managing director Murray Wills said: “Keith started in our Lark- field office. He opened and ran the Loose office. He was a trusted and able associate director of the company and took on the open- ing of new offices. If you wanted something done well, youwould go to Keith. “The directors of the company
have worked together for many years andwe are all going to miss Keith and his input into the com- pany.
“Keith’s passions included his
family, being aFreemason andhis cars, which were invariably good vehicles kept in showroom con- dition.” With first wife Linda he raised children Angie and Nick. Angie said: “He was always
calm and could be relied on in a crisis, he loved his cars and as a young man he was known to have taken the bumpers off to polish them inside the house. His cars were immaculate, in show- room condition. He was always game for a laugh, a very good man.” Keith leaves Jane, hiswife of 27
years, his children and his grand- children, Matthew, Lily, Gracie Harvey and Harry.
Eric Francis ERIC Francis (90), who lived in Loose for 53 years, rose through the ranks at Edward Sharp’s, the confectionary company, to be- come national sales manager. He travelled throughout the UK. Born in Luton, he enlisted in
theRAFat the start of the war and was posted to India. In 1949 he married Alysone
and after living in Tunbridge Wells the cou- ple settled in Loose. Son David
said: “My fa- ther was a true gentleman in the old fash- ioned sense of the word. He was quiet, placid, a very good listener and a good friend to people. “In addition to his work at Sharp’s, he played for the factory cricket team. In his younger days he had a trial as a professional batsman forWarwickshire. David added: “He travelled
miles for his work. His base was in Woodford Green, Essex, and working fromhomewasn’t an op- tion in those days. “In retirement he enjoyed gar- dening, DIY and following sports events.” Eric leaves his widow, son and grandchildren Claire and John.
Roger Cable ROGER Cable (71) was born and raised in We avering Street and at- tended East Borough and Vinters Boys Schools. Married to
Vivien (née Brooks), he had three children, Samuel, Nathan and
Monumental Stonemasons Est. 1973
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Amelia and two grandchildren, Zadie and Brandon. A well-known musician in
Kent and beyond, Roger took up the drums in the late 1950s and played with many local bands, including Bill Kent and his Ken- tish Men and The Kingfishers. In the early 1960s he became a professional drummer and was part of the band that worked with Eden Kane, who had several top 20 hits.
Retiring from the professional
scene in the late 1960s, he joined local bands The Factory – who opened the short-lived but popu- lar G Ranch Club – and TheWeb Foundation. He had a keen interest in rail-
ways and owned an impressive model layout.Healsoworked for BritishRail and Railtrack, ending his career in the Folkestone Har- bour signal box. Continuing toplayperiodically
in local bands, Roger was instru- mental in the reformation of The Web Foundation, in which he played until 2010 when he was forced to retire due to ill health. His friends and colleagues are planning a memorial evening later this year.
Yvonne Stocker YVONNE Stocker (63) spent the final decade of her life living in Lordswood but had spent the previous 20 years in Boxley Road. Yvonne (nee
Wells) worked for Kimberly Clark before marrying John. The couple raised daugh- ters Jane and Julie, but John
died in his early 40s. Yvonne nursed him through his illness. As her daughters grew,Yvonne
did shop and café work before becoming an auxiliary nurse at Maidstone Hospital. Yvonne en- joyed travelling, especially on coach trips with friends, and playing bingo. She leaves her daughters and grandchildren Lauren, Ross and Jordan.
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The Stone Shop Station Hill, East Farleigh, Kent.
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Visit Downs Mail’s website —
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