Jean Mavis Short

““The loss is immeasurable but so is the love left behind.”

Jean passed away in the care of Ward 2 at Leighton Hospital on 26th July 2021 aged 82 years.

She was the very much loved Wife of Roy. Devoted Mum to Julie, Jayne, Carl & Linda.  A Cherished Nan to Jodie, Lee, Katie, Jessica, Danielle, Kelly, Jamie, Daniel, Emily, Thomas & Amy also a Great Nan to Myia, Nathanial, Alfie, Jayden, Payson & Lenny-George.

Jean will be so so sadly missed and lovingly remembered by all her family & friends.

Her funeral took place on Thursday 5th August 2021 at Crewe Crematorium Chapel at 11.30am followed by Burial at Swanlow Park Cemetery.

Donations for St Luke’s Hospice with be gratefully received in memory of Jean.

For further information and to offer your condolences, please telephone our Funeral Home on 01270 584447

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Jean was Roy’s beloved wife, a much-loved mum to Julie, Jane, Carl and Linda, a
dear mother-in-law, doting nan to Jodie, Lee, Katie, Jessica, Danielle, Kelly, Jamie,
Daniel, Emily, Thomas and Amy and great nan to six, a sister, sister-in-law and
auntie, she was extremely close to her late uncle Frank who gave Roy her hand in
marriage because sadly she lost her own dad in 1957, she also thought a lot about
her late Uncle Fred. Jean was a good friend and neighbour to many over the years;
so very special to all who had the pleasure of knowing her.
She was a special lady with a beautiful soul who gave everyone faith in human
nature. One of the nicest people you could ever have the pleasure of knowing,
naturally glamorous, extremely loving, kind, gentle and reserved, she very often said
SSSSH! Because she couldn’t abide anyone swearing and married for sixty-one
precious years, Roy was often Royston when she was displeased. Her
granddaughters Danielle and Kelly remember her saying “Roy, it’s Sunday, don’t
swear!”
Jean was welcomed into the world on 1 st February 1939 to Arthur and Elsie Rickards.
The youngest of five, she an older brother Ernie and three sisters, Lily, Elsie and
Doris. When reminiscing about her childhood, she talked about the bombs going off
and them all rushing to the Communal Anderson Shelter on West Street near to their
home.
After leaving school, Jean spent several years in the cashier’s department at the Co-
op, in the days when the takings were sent across to the office in containers on
manual pulleys then they progressed to containers shooting through tubes above
their heads – a vacuum affect and whilst working there, they moved premises.
Eventually she started work in the trim department at Rolls Royce and this was her
last full-time job because in the meantime she had met the love of her life whilst out
dancing with her pals at the Town Hall. Roy described how the girls excitedly waited
to be asked, or if they were already being swept around the dance floor, the lads
waited for the chance to S’cuse me, or get a punch on the nose!
Roy had apparently seen Jean round and about Crewe, and the night they met, he
clearly got his dream dance and then asked her out again.
They courted for a couple of years going to places like the Studio on Mill Street and
at the back row of the Kino Cinema although Crewe had an abundance of dance
halls and cinemas to choose from. They married on 26 th March 1960 at St Barnabas
Church and initially lived with her parents at Frank Webb Avenue but when Jean was
expecting Julie, they moved to Middlewich Street.
Jane came along followed by Carl and after several years as a full-time mum and
housewife, the children were still at school when she and Roy decided to take on a
shop with living accommodation selling cigarettes, sweets, crisps and pop and whilst
Roy continued at the works, Jean ran the business.
When they eventually gave it up, they moved to Ashmuir Close, and Jean started
part time at Owen’s post office. She was always at home before the children left for
school and there when they arrived home in the afternoon.

She cycled everywhere, often ladened with shopping on the handlebars and before
returning home from work, Jean always managed to call on her mum, ‘Nana Rick’ as
the children affectionately called her.
Jean kept a lovely clean and tidy home, a miracle considering she had four children,
but she was super-efficient, always busy and the children knew there was a washing
fairy, an ironing fairy and a put away fairy, they just never realised it was their mum
until they got older!
And she had a daily routine, carved in stone. Set meals on set days, they all knew
exactly what they were having for tea without the need to ask, even after they started
work.
And they all have fond memories of the fun packed holidays they had at Pontins or
Butlins.
As the one generation started to leave home, grandchildren started arriving and once
Jodie was born, Jean was able to enter the Glamorous Grandmother competition at
Pontins in Prestatyn.
When they weren’t sorting out children and grandchildren, Jean and Roy enjoyed
lots of coach holidays, they bought a campervan and visited many places including
the stunning coast around Barmouth.
They also went on holiday with Julie and family to Lanzarote and were members of
the Transport Travel Club, taking the train to France and Europe, joined by Doris and
Charlie on one occasion.
Jean and Roy were on holiday in the Isle of Wight when some people walked past
with a Westie so Jean had to have one. They did have a menagerie of animals
throughout the years, terrapins, a white rabbit, tortoise, birds, a kitten called Zoe, she
adopted a horse from Bransby Home for horses in Lincolnshire and she doted on
their black Labrador, Ben walking for miles with him and then after moving to Beatty
Court in 2011, they got a cockatiel called spike a cockatiel called Spike, who Jean
taught to say, “what you doing Roy, naughty boy Roy!”
Her animals, her family, they all meant the world to Jean. She was a doting nan and
always found something to do with each of them and she loved babysitting. She
used to put £1 away each week for every grandchild and would give it to them in
lump sums. She loved knitting especially jumpers in bright colours, lovely, knitted
hearts featured on the lovely Order of Service.
Thomas read a tribute to his nan before Jean was laid to rest at Swanlow Park
Cemetery.

May she rest in peace