The village of Orton has just lost its oldest resident, Joanne Blue, who was 98.
Joanne came to Orton in 1954 with her husband, Ian, who was the village doctor, initially in practice with Dr Alan Judson in Shap and Dr Cranston in Kirkby Stephen.
Many will remember her helping in the practice and bringing up her family, sons Kyle and Ranald.
She was active in village life, particularly the church, but most closely associated with the busy surgery. Her village keep fit classes combined vigorous exercise with Scottish country dancing and legendary Christmas parties.
She also taught Scottish country dancing in neighbouring primary schools.
Joanne was born in 1923 in the Scottish village of Doune, between Callander and Stirling. Her father was a chemist and she was educated in Callender, going on to Aberdeen University in 1943 where she studied physical education.
This was, of course, during wartime and she vividly recalled the oppressive grey mornings with convoys silently slipping out of the port at first light.
Aberdeen was a Luftwaffe bomber target and she remembered the bombing raids and her windows being shattered by bullets as she hid under the bed.
This was not the only assault from the air she had to contend with. Her future husband, Ian, was training pilots in the vicinity of Aberdeen and frequently flew low over the university games fields, scattering the girls and disrupting hockey and lacrosse matches.
“At least he didn’t shoot at me,” she once said.
After the war she married Ian at St Giles’s Cathedral, Edinburgh, where Ian was studying medicine.
At this stage they made the surprising decision to emigrate to Rhodesia and Nyasaland where there was a family tobacco estate.
Ian had flown missions with many pilots from there during the war and had immense respect for the settlers. However, after a few years of their African adventure they decided to return to Edinburgh where Ian resumed his medical career and Kyle was born.
It was not long after this that Ian was offered the Orton practice. He died in 1980 and Joanne started a long widowhood. However, she remained incredibly upbeat and active, swimming virtually every day for the next 40 years.
She loved travelling abroad and had many happy holidays and adventures with her good friend Rachel Harbot. After such an active and enjoyable life her last two years were difficult, with old age finally taking its toll.
Joanne will be greatly missed by many in the village and fondly remembered by all her family and friends.
