The funeral of Alston stalwart and former Herald correspondent Grace Renwick took place this week.
An enthusiastic personality who was involved in numerous clubs and events in the town, Grace’s funeral was held at St. Augustine’s Church, Alston, on Wednesday.
Born and bred in Alston, Grace was the only child of Ruth Mary and Harold Bramwell. She was brought up initially at the Turks Head Inn, Alston, before the family moved to Church View in the Butts.
In April, 1952, she married Halbert Renwick and they went on to have two children — Ruth and Roslyn.
Grace lived and worked in Alston until 1967, for several of those years at the local Co-op and then at Eclipse Television Services.
In September, 1967, the family moved to West Auckland, near Bishop Auckland but Grace returned to her home town in 1994 when she and Hal took up residence at Bruntley Meadows.
A regular member of the National Federation of Women’s Institutes prior to moving to County Durham, in 1967 she was very proud to represent Alston WI as their delegate and spoke at the federation’s annual meeting at the Royal Albert Hall in London.
She rejoined the WI on her return to Alston, and was was secretary for 17 years and president for a year. She always enthusiastically took part in any event involving dressing up and larking about.
After returning to Alston she found an interest in bowling and, for several years, was a member of Alston Carpet Bowling Club.
Following in the footsteps of her great aunt Lil, after her retirement Grace took up reporting local news for the Herald. She rarely missed an event and kept the paper informed of Alston news — a job she greatly enjoyed.
Another enjoyment was a lifelong interest in arts and crafts. She often made clothes for her children and, in her 60s, achieved an A-level pass in the subject.
In their retirement Grace and Hal spent time travelling on many holidays. A highlight was a trip to New Zealand and they enjoyed many cruises, mostly to Europe and with the Canaries a regular and favourite winter destination.
Following illness in September, 2019, Grace needed 24-hour care and moved in to The Fields residential home at Bishop Auckland.
She sadly caught COVID-19 and although she survived the virus, the isolation was said by her family to have been a major factor in her decline prior to her death.
Grace is survived by her daughters; grandchildren Nick, Tori, Kay, Kirsty and Jonathan; and great-grandchildren Logan, Lara, Lois, Scarlett, Carter, Amber, Ellis and Aidan.
