FOR more than 10 years Lorna Clotworthy was Town Clerk to Crediton Town Council, retiring in 1995.

Among many other things, she oversaw the introduction of Mayor at Crediton and was involved in fundraising for a swimming pool at Lords Meadow Leisure Centre.

Her daughter, Kate, writes that Lorna was born in May 1935. She died in April this year, leaving behind four daughters, a Ward and their families.

Kate says that the family lived at West Parley near Bournemouth where Lorna grew up with her younger brother, Garnet.

She buried her head in books from a young age and was accepted at Exeter University to read English in 1954, but chose to go to Eastbourne Secretarial College, which led to her job in London in the Foreign Office.

From her position in the Conference and Supply Department of the Foreign Office she travelled to Bermuda, Karachi and Geneva, with a posting to Japan in 1957.

Lorna’s mother died in 1958 so she returned to look after her father and lived in Oxford. While there she joined the drama company called the Ventures and met John Clotworthy.

In 1960 Lorna married John who was the headmaster at Joscas School. Their daughters Emma and Kate were born in Oxford and they became the guardians to Stephanie who was 11 years old.

Lorna and John moved to Scotland in 1963 where John was headmaster to a school just outside Perth. Two more daughters were born Nell and Charlotte. Lorna balanced being a mother and a headmaster’s supportive wife.

In 1969 the family moved to Monifieth just outside Dundee, Lorna going back to work in Dundee.

A keen gardener all her life, in Monifieth Lorna created a wonderful garden full of beautiful plants, herbs and flowers together with fruit and vegetables.

In 1976 the family moved to Crediton where Lorna transformed the garden at 4 Union Terrace and had many years involved with Crediton’s Floral Competitions and Open Gardens.

She worked at Southern Health Food as administrative assistance to the boss until the company was taken over by Holland and Barratt.

Then, for more than 10 years, Lorna was Crediton Town Council’s Town Clerk, a huge success for Lorna and the town. She worked with the fundraising group, Let’s Pool Together, to raise money to build the swimming pool at Lords Meadow Leisure Centre and in the rejuvenation of Crediton’s railway station.

During these years some daughters got married and 10 grandchildren were born, but the first granddaughter died soon after birth. Lorna retired as Town Clerk in the summer of 1995, Nan Gaskell taking over.

Both Jenni Pitts, the town’s first Mayor, and Gill Ponsford who was also Mayor, praised the work of Lorna for the town and the Town Council, saying she had been “wonderful” and “the best ever”.

In 2001 Lorna and John retired to Copplestone and they began travelling again. They visited the Scandinavian Countries, New Zealand, India, and a trip down the Hudson River. During this time, two great grandchildren were born.

In 2018 Lorna became very ill and went to live with her daughters in the Teign Valley. Here with great love and care she regained strength and lived out three more years in comfort.

John moved to Newton Abbot to be nearer her and his daughters. Sadly sometime later on May 3, 2020, just two days short of his 90th birthday, John died of pancreatic cancer, being cared for at his daughter Emma’s home. His funeral was on May 18, 2020 at the Exeter and Devon Crematorium.

Lorna was living with her daughter Charlotte when she died, very peacefully, surrounded by family. Her funeral was on April 30, this year at the Exeter and Devon Crematorium.

John and Lorna’s ashes will be scattered later this year at All Saints’ Church, West Parley where they were married.