Margery "Geri" Faith McLellan - a Celebration

27-April-1927 to 16-January-2021.

I posted about Dad on the one year anniversary of his passing. It has taken me over two years to do the same for Mum. She died during the second Covid lockdown so the funeral was a small affair with no post service gathering. It took most of that year to deal with her estate as her sole executor.

From the Order of Service: 

Margery “Geri” Faith McLellan passed away peacefully on 16th January 2021 at the age of 93. Geri was born on 27th April 1927 in Hertford, Hertfordshire to Kathleen and Harry Scales. When only 8 years old her father died and she became a boarder at the Royal Masonic School for Girls in Rickmansworth, Hertfordshire. After her Matriculation in 1945 she commenced her architectural studies at The North London Polytechnic Institute where she met her husband to be, Michael McLellan. She left before gaining a full qualification as an Architect in order to home nurse her mother who died in 1950. Geri and Michael married in 1951, living in Blackheath where their three children Mark, Ian and Jane were born. In 1956 the family moved to Kenilworth in Warwickshire where for many years Geri was actively involved in public life, notably as Chairwoman of the National Council of Women’s local branch and as a magistrate sitting on both Family and Juvenile Benches. She also resumed her career in architecture, working for a local private practice. After all the children had left home and Michael was appointed the Chief Architect of Waverley District Council in 1975, Geri and Michael moved to Guildford Surrey where she was a volunteer Court Ancillary Clerk for the Probation Service, became a formidable contract bridge player and adept at buying and selling antiques through local fairs. In 1996 Geri and Michael moved to their final home together in Farnham, Surrey where she enjoyed helping out in their local Cancer Research charity shop and continued to play regular bridge with a wide circle of friends. Within a year of Michael’s death in December 2017, Geri moved into Eversfield Care home in Reigate, Surrey where she lived in comfort and safety until her passing on 16th January 2021. Geri is survived by her three children, Mark, Ian, and Jane, six grandchildren and five great grandchildren.

Now six grandchildren.

Mum in 1951

Also around 1951.

On their wedding day 02-June-1951.

Pregnant with me, summer 1952.

With daughter Jane, circa 1959.

Family photo: three children, six grandchildren and partners, 2015.

After my father died my mother never could bring herself to answer the question of disposal of my father’s ashes. Nor would she ever express a preference regarding her own arrangements. So his ashes had been sitting at the undertakers for several years until Mum died. They had no special places we could go for. 

In the end we decided the Thames was an appropriate location. My father was a Londoner, my parents met and married in London, their first home together was in London and us three children were all born there.

The End.