Mavis Sutton

“Sad are the hearts that love you. Silent the tears that fall.”

Mavis passed away peacefully in the care of Leighton Hospital aged 89 years on 29th July 2021.

The beloved wife of the late Ralph. Much loved Mum to Ian, Kathryn, Paul & Keith.  Also a cherished Grandma, Great Grandma and Mother in Law.

Mavis will be so sadly missed and fondly remembered by all her family & friends.

Her funeral took place on Monday 9th August at Crewe Crematorium Chapel at 12.15pm

Kind donations are being collected for The British Heart Foundation.

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

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Mavis was a devoted wife and soulmate to the late Ralph, loving mum to Ian,
Kathryn, Paul & Keith.  She was blessed with eight cherished grandchildren:
Hayden, Carl, Nicola, Kelly, Bec, Connor, Joe and Lydia, and was a doting great
grandma to Asha, Jacob, Ryan, Zac, Amelia, Ava, Luca, Max, Illiana and Jacob.
Mavis was also a dear mother-in-law to Diane, Paul, Karen and was fond of Paul’s
partner Sue. She survived her own two older siblings Jean and Gerv, was a sister-
in-law to Ralph’s, an auntie and had many good friends and neighbours over the
years; Doreen and the late Doug, neighbours for sixty-six years and their two
daughters, Gillian and Jackie who used to play out in the back gardens with Mavis’s
four. She also enjoyed meeting up with the members of the Widows Group once a
month and looked forward to their trips out, so many special people in her life.
Mavis was a wonderful lady with a beautiful soul; she truly saw the good in everyone
and never had a bad word to say about anybody, incredibly trusting even when
people knocked on her door, she would always ask them in regardless of who they
were.
Mavis was gracious and kind with a sincerity that gave people faith in human nature.
Totally selfless, she would do anything for anyone, not for praise or gratitude, she
was immensely caring and generous with her time and love.
She was eighty-nine years young and despite various health issues, she survived
cancer and a broken hip, remaining extremely independent, going to town on the bus
and always active but the lockdown affected her confidence and latterly she didn’t
get about as much as she used to.
Mavis was welcomed into the world in 1932 by her parents Nellie and William. She
started life in Liverpool, but the family moved to near the Docks in Runcorn when she
was around three.
Her dad was in the Royal Navy during WW1 then after being demobbed he worked
on a lighthouse ship / dredger and piloted ships into the Docks. Her brother Gerv
was a tugboat Captain, and he often took her on the bus to Liverpool to watch
Everton. All the kids used to go down to the Ferry Hut and went swimming in the
sea, it was probably more a case of paddling because like many youngsters in those
days, Mavis couldn’t swim.
Mavis was only seven when WW2 was declared. She always reminisced about
running home from school to see her cousin John when he arrived on leave for his
twenty first birthday. He went off on the Dambuster’s mission just days later but was
killed in the raid and at such a tender age, Mavis was heartbroken.
During the war, being the youngest, Mavis was evacuated to Blackpool with her mum
whilst Jean and Gerv went elsewhere but fortunately they were only separated for a
short time. After leaving school at fourteen, Mavis worked at the Lawless bakery in
Frodsham which is probably where she initially learnt some of her baking skills. She
used to make the most amazing cakes, especially cream cakes and celebration
cakes. Walking through the door, the family were often met with a homely smell of
baking, she routinely made scones on Sundays and whoever visited first got most of
them.

Her rice pudding was delicious, she made her own puff pastry, but she often said
Ralph’s was far better, in the run up to Christmas, she made mouth-watering mince
pies and all year round she made stacks of jam tarts.
She and Ralph met at a dance up at Mersey View and she always used to run to
catch the last bus home. Her cousin Kath was only ever allowed to go to the Mersey
View if ‘our Mav’ could take her and she remembers the two of them getting the bus
home.
Married in 1955, Mavis and Ralph moved into their forever home in Mablins Lane.
Ralph had trained in the Army to become a chef and worked nearby at Cheshire
Constabulary Training College until he retired in 1988. Mavis was filled with pride
when Lord Leverhulme presented him with the BEM for services to the police in 1987
and the family had afternoon tea at Thornton Manor on the Wirral.
Skipping back to a year after they were married, after Ian was born, Mavis was
promoted to the skills of housewife and full-time mum. Kathryn followed in 1960.
They were all blessed with a wonderful childhood and although they weren’t well off,
they received a wealth of love from mum and dad and its true to say, Mavis was a
brilliant mum, she was simply always there for them, she used to pick them up from
school, give them lunch at home then take them back and in the school holidays,
they always knew there would be a tasty meal at teatime with all the baking treats.
The family remember fun filled holidays – despite the rain at the caravan in Prestatyn
where their grandma and grandad would join them, and at Pontins Brean Sands with
Kath, Harry and her family, they were wonderful times.
As the children grew up, Mavis became a chaperone to children with learning needs
and she worked at Hightown Bakery until she left to look after her mum who had
moved to Crewe with Jean.
Mavis sadly suffered much loss in a relatively short time, Ralph died at just sixty-four,
not long after her mum and brother sadly passed as well. They had been able to
enjoy five grandchildren together but having two more grandchildren to look after
certainly lightened her life and eased the pain.
They all have such fond memories of grandma, like the times she picked them up
from school and gave them mash islands with broccoli for trees surrounded by a sea
of peas!
They all gave her such purpose and total joy then as she watched them all grow up,
her great grandchildren came along, the house was filled with toys and laughter all
over again.
Now Mavis’s story wouldn’t be complete without mentioning her love of sports,
especially football. Her passion most likely started when Gerv took her as a little girl,
but she and Ralph were season ticket holders at Crewe Alex, and she carried on
going until well into her eighties. She took her grandsons to football and was filled
with pride watching Hayden, Carl, Connor and Joe play. She also watched Lydia
when she was performing Gymnastics.

She subscribed to Sky Sports, avidly watching snooker, rugby, athletics, she wasn’t
so struck on cricket, but she would have loved the Olympics.
Mavis never asked for much in life, she was totally contented and loved having her
family and friends around her. She never really complained about anything.
She loved the garden and used to sit for hours watching the birds on well stocked
feeders.

May she rest in peace