Obituary: Tribute to Dorothy Cronshaw

Dorothy Cronshaw

Dorothy Cronshaw, nee Jaques, died peacefully just after midnight on Thursday (2 April).

Her funeral was held on Monday 13 April; around 30 people, a few family members and some friends, attended at Rochdale Crematorium.

Hedley Jackson was her funeral director and the service was led by Reverend Peter Zucca. The wake was held at Moss Lodge, Kingsway.

Julie Jones, her friend of many years, said: “I first met Dorothy when she was a customer in my hairdressing salon and we instantly clicked. We’ve been friends for years and I  helped her as she got frail.

“She was born in Deepcar in Sheffield and was a much-loved little girl with lovely parents. Then she met Fred, who was 13 years older, during the war and they married when she was 21 and he was 34.

“They moved to Newhey where she worked in the offices at Holroyds until as a couple, they inherited Fred’s father’s sweet shop which sold tobacco and confectionery back when Duckworth’s Grocers was next to it.

“They decided to retire 25 years ago, they had five happy years together before Fred’s death in January 1995. Since then, she has spent 20 years living independently, and always made the best of everything.

“Her GP, Dr Hampson, has been wonderful with dealing with her bad chest, and her cleaners and neighbours have been marvellous with her.

“Dorothy enjoyed living luxuriously, and loved new things. We’ve been on the Orient Express together, and she went on holidays in lovely hotels throughout the country. She loved this country, and she knew it off the back of her hand.

“She had a friend, Jean Leach, who she went on the train to see every Friday morning up until about two years ago. Even when she didn’t see her, they spoke for about an hour on the phone every single day.

“Dorothy was quite famous in the area with grown ups who knew her from when they were children going into the sweet shop. She had a penny and a halfpenny tray full of sweets which the children loved.

“She had all of her marbles right until the very end. She was a very clever, learned lady, and nobody ever left her without learning something new.

"She will sadly be missed.”