Rosemary Wallis was a very caring person. She was pastoral assistant and church warden at St Mary’s Church. She was given a project of trying to get more people to visit the church and she came up with the idea of the charity coffee morning, this carried on for 30 years raising money for the local hospices.
She loved to sing and was a member of the choir and also helped organize the flower festival. Rosemary was the contact between the church and Ripley 1st School listening to the children read, taking the children for visits to the church and taking little services in the school.
Rosemary ran the local cub pack for many years often taking them on pack holidays with the scouts to Devon. She was on the committee for the Over 60’s always making cakes and sandwiches for the teas. On the 24th April 2014 she and myself received the Mayor’s Award for Community Service.
Rosemary always had a lovely way with everybody, she loved to laugh and sing. Unfortunately dementia took over in the end but she was always cheerful and pleased to see people. Rosemary will always be remembered and missed in the village for what she did for Ripley.
Edna Millis
Reproduced from Issue 110, Autumn 2020.
