DOROTHY Knowles died earlier this month, just a few days before her 91st birthday.

Her funeral service is to be held at Crediton Parish Church on Thursday, April 6 at 2pm.

She was born on March 26, 1926 in Leytonstone, Essex, the family moving to Sidmouth where she finished her schooling.

She and Desmond were married in 1954 in Sidmouth, he was serving in the RAF in Salisbury. He later became a Civil Servant as a careers officer.

They moved from Yeovil to Crediton in 1973 with their son Graham and daughter, Kersten, to the same house where Dorothy lived after Des died in 2014. Dorothy also leaves two grand daughters and a great grandson.

Rare were the people Dorothy did not get on with, helping very many and frequently helping various organisations.

A neighbour described how Dorothy would make lots of fun for the children around her and Des, how their home was “a mecca for the children of the neighbourhood” and how Dorothy shared her love of animals with them.

She also helped at Crediton Youth Club. Older people in Crediton will remember the years when Dorothy worked for Harold Davey in his shop at the bottom of Union Terrace at the beginning of the High Street. She later worked for Kneel’s Cleaners in Crediton.

She took a great interest in Crediton Parish Church, was a member of its Friends for many years. For more than 20 years she organised distribution of the parish magazine and delivered copies, so their dogs had plenty of exercise. She was the “Sweeping Fairy” at the June Festival in the church, she and her dog arriving first thing to sweep the church from end to end to be ready for the visitors.

She would often return to help in the Festival shop, especially in the plant section because she loved plants and her garden.

She had received the Royal British Legion medal for 30 years service, being a Poppy Appeal collector. In fact, it seemed whenever anyone was stuck for a collector, Dorothy would fill the gap. She certainly did so for the League of Friends of Crediton Hospital for many years, she and her dog raising more money than any of the other collectors.

She also supported a number of charities including the RNLI, Guide Dogs for the Blind, International Fund for Animal Welfare, Greatwood (caring for Retired Racehorses and Children and Young People with special educational needs), Crediton Area History and Museum Society, the Cinnamon Trust, Dartmoor Preservation Association and she and Des had been members of the National Trust local group as well as the Rambling Club.

“Dorothy always seemed to be full of energy and even in recent years hosted lunch parties for groups of friends,” said one friend. Another said how she was “a dear and very good friend”, always ready for a cup of tea. Another spoke of the time she had gone with the dog by train to Exeter, catching the bus home “just for an adventure.”