'Beloved' Margaret Walmsley's last journey through Garstang in pictures

Margaret Walmsley, 79, passed away on February 13. She was a 'treasured' and ‘cherished’ Garstang mother, nan, great-nan and wife.

Her husband, Austin Walmsley, and family followed Margaret's hearse on its last journey through her hometown. Staff and residents at Cornmill Nursing & Residential Care Home lined the road outside to say farewell to Margaret.

Due to Coronavirus restrictions, only 30 people are allowed to attend funerals. Because of this Margaret's family invited her acquaintances and friends to pay their respects during this final journey.

The funeral cortège travelled down Garstang High Street and onto Bridge Street this morning. Greg Hodgkinson, funeral director, then walked Margaret’s hearse across the River Wyre Bridge and paused so Cornmill staff and residents could pay their respects.

A well-known figure in the town, Margaret is said to have 'always had a listening ear for anyone’ and was ‘always chatting’. Margaret's family say she will be ‘sorely’ missed but that ‘special memories’ will be ‘held in their hearts forever’.

Margaret husband, Austin Walmsley, ran the family business until his retirement four years ago. Their son and grandson now head the business which has been running since 1901.

Margaret previously worked at her brother’s shop at Bonds and Scorton and also worked at Singleton’s Bakery. She was a keen gardener and spent many happy days in the garden.

Angela McVey, one of Margaret's daughters, described her as a ‘very kind and friendly lady’ and said she was very 'family-oriented'.

“She always had time for other people,” Angela said, “She lived in Garstang since 1962 when she married my dad, and they had a house on the High Street.”

Angela says that her mother would take almost an hour to do some shopping or buy some bread because she would spend lots of time talking to everybody.

“People always wanted to talk to her and confide in her,” Angela said.

“She was a very family-oriented lady, it was her main goal in life to have a family and she had three children, eight grandchildren and now seven great-grandchildren.

“Everybody would go over to her house all the time to see her and my dad and that’s what we will always remember.

“At Christmas she had 18-20 people and a weekend would never go by without a family member going to see her or meet up with her.”