Brenda James BRENDA James (67), of Chart Sutton, was known in her area for her involvement with St Mary’s Church, Sutton Valence. Hermanydutieswithinthe church led to the Three Suttons magazine describing her as a “stalwart supporter and tireless worker for the church”. In ad- dition to helping out in the church and with its services she also did church work in schools and care homes. Born in Wainscott, in the Medway Towns, she was mar- ried to Gover James, and her fa- ther was a mayor in Medway from 1975 to 1976. Brenda worked for Lloyds


Bank, and went on to do volun- tary work driving a minibus for Age Concern in Maidstone. She and Gover lived in Staplehurst and Sutton Valence. Her friend Peter Garratt said;


“She cared very much about the community, that’s clear in the way she was involved with the school and old people’s home.


“Brenda and Gover were great personal friends and shewill be very much missed.”


David Crosbie DAVID Crosbie (68), of Head- corn, and previously of Ul- combe, chaired the advisory council for St Augustine Acad- emy, Maidstone. He had been involved with


the academy for two years. The voluntary position came after a professional career devoted to public service, including work on government policy in the so- cial services. David worked for the Com- mission for Social Care Inspec- tion and as a researcher for the Institute of SocialWork. Born in Farnham and edu-


cated at the University of Lan- caster, David was married to Christine for 20 years and was father to Louise and Sonia. Christine said: “David’s Catholic principles guided his life and his work, he wor- shipped in Headcorn. He was a wonderful, lovely man with a true gift of friendship.” He leaves wife Christine and daughters Louise and Sonia.


Douglas Honeyset DOUGLAS “Doug” Honeyset (89) moved toWest Farleigh be- fore the war and – after war service – settled in Charlton Lane with wife Monica. Doug worked in the building


trade and the couple raised five sons and one daughter. The local parish news re- ported: “Doug was a quiet man, but put a lot of energy and skill into cultivating his fine garden. He was also a keen coarse fish- erman.”


Phyllis Smitherman PHYLLIS Smitherman (87) lived and worked in West Far- leigh almost all her life. The daughter of a farm


30 South


We will remember


labourer, she lived briefly in Coxheath before going into service at Elmscroft. She married labourer Don Smitherman, who worked in the same area, and moved to Charlton Lane. The couple had no children


and Phyllis worked locally in farm jobs and as a cleaner. She also had a job atWoolworth’s in Week Street, Maidstone. Don died soon after retire-


ment and Phyllis eventually moved to a Goulston bungalow in West Farleigh, where she spent the next 22 years. Helen Swann,writing an obit-


uary in theWest Farleigh parish newsletter, said: “Phyllis never grumbled or complained, she appreciated being visited and enjoyed tales of ‘old West Far- leigh’.”


Christopher Goodall CHRISTOPHER Goodall (96) lived locally from the late 1950s, and was resident in Boughton Monchelsea from 1966 until moving to Gavin Astor House, in the Royal British Legion Village in 2009. Born and raised in Berkshire,


he served in the Ordnance Corps in WWII, and was taken prisoner by the Japanese at the fall of Singapore, going on to be- come one of the workforce building the Burma railway. Married for 66 years to Han-


nah, Christopher was father to Clive, Julia, Hilary, Christopher andMontague. He followed a career in retail, working for the David Greig chain of grocers as a training manager, based at Rumwood Court, Langley. He went on to regional management, opening the company’s first supermarket in Slough, and was eventually poached to work for the (then) upcoming Tesco chain. Son Montague said: “My fa- ther had a real gift for his work


and could see how displays and organisation worked to make a difference to business perform- ance. “He kept on working past the


usual retirement age. My father came from a family of nine, and was really happy when his grandchildren visited and played in his back garden in Boughton Monchelsea. “He and my mother loved travelling, but he found a lot of his passion in life through his work, so he didn’t have hob- bies.”


Christopher – who was wid-


owed in 2002 – lost son Clive to meningitis when he was very young. Son Christopher also pre-deceased him. He leaves his three surviving children, nine grandchildren, 19 great-grandchildren and two great-great-grandchildren.


Rev Gordon Marsh THE Reverend Gordon Marsh (87), who has died in Tenter- den, lived andworked in Maid- stone from 1963 until retiring in 1985. He spent part of his boyhood


in Loose, and returned there to live with Jean, his wife of 59 years, after he had served in the Navy during the war. Gordon rose through the


ranks at KCC, serving as a counter clerk and dealing with a range of issues brought in by the general public. He was father to Simon and Richard, tragically losing his younger son in an accident on HMS Hermes just prior to the FalklandsWar. On retirement in 1985, Gor-


don followed a personal calling to take holy orders. He had served for many years at All Saints’ Church,Maidstone, in a range of roles including lay reader and sidesman. He be- came aminister and – while liv- ing in Romney Marsh – served in a peripatetic role throughout his local area. Jean Marsh said: “Gordon


loved wildlife and being in the countryside. He loved to walk in the country and was a very


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giving person. Our eldest son put in the funeral address that Gordon’s real vocation lay within the church.” Gordon leaves hiswife, eldest


son and grandchildren Claire, Jonathan and Katharine.


John Bodkin JOHN Bodkin (86), who lived for seven years in Barming and was resident from 1992 in East Farleigh, was a skilled crafts- man who had followed a no- table career, and was also well-known among the gliding fraternity and fellow members of the Kent Gliding Club, near Charing. John moved locally from Dunstable after a career in skilled craftwork that saw him working as – among other things – a picture framer,maker of leather handbags and cloth- ing. He travelled as far afield as Hong Kong with his work. After the death of his first


wife, Sylvia, John moved lo- cally and 12 years ago, married Sheila. His friend Brian Tansley said: “John was a gentle man who had also been a good pho- tographer. Gliding was his real passion.” John leaves his wife Sheila


and will be sadly missed and fondly remembered by all who knew him.


Maisie Douglass MAISIE Evelyn Douglass (81) lived for the last 14 years in Kingswood. She ran a


fancy goods shop in Cox- heath for 12 years, next door to a DIY store owned and run by her husband, Jim, to whom she was married for 62 years. Born Maisie Baker in Mar-


gate, she moved to the Maid- stone area as a young girl and met Jimwhilst she was working as a secretary to a firm of builders. The couple had two sons,


Stuart andMark, who share the same birthday but were born two years apart. In later years Maisie and Jim moved to Doncaster to run a kennels, returning to live in Kingswood as they neared re- tirement. Maisie had a long involve-


The Stone Shop Memorials. Any natural stone supplied, lettered and installed anywhere. Inscriptions added to existing memorials Renovations and memorial cleaning


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