Dorothy AgnesMITCHELL MBEdied at Lavender Hills Care Home on February 10, aged 91.
She leaves her children, Alistair, Angus, Kathryn, Gavin and Gareth, their partners, nine grandchildren
and two great grandchildren.
Born in 1934 in Edinburgh as the eldest of two daughters, she initially trained as a Registered Sick Children's Nurse. Having then qualified as a registered general nurse she moved to Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) in 1959
to take up a post as ward sister. There she married Colin Mitchell and they went on to have five children together. Moving back to the UK in 1962 the family first set up home in Helmshore.
After a move to Cronkshawfold Farm in 1969, the family ran a farm and a pub in the Lake District.
Dorothy returned to Rossendale after her divorce in 1974 and set up Musbury Fabrics in Helmshore
and built it into a successful business. On retirement, she had eighty-four hours to fill each week.
Without sporting or athletic ambition, not keen on coffee mornings and retired lunches, she worked full-time, voluntarily in the community. Her involvement with many projects benefitted a wide range of organisations in Rossendale. Often working in the background, she enabled projects that met the needs of people in Rossendale to begin, develop, achieve funding and become sustainable. These include Rossendale Hospice,
Haslingden Community Link, Veterans in Communities, Weir Baptist Church, Young Enterprise and
St Anne's Church Community Centre.
In 2005 she received an MBE for Services to the Community of East Lancashire.
Dorothy was also an active member of Soroptimist International, until declining health forced her to retire.
She was Rossendale Woman of the Year in 2013, as well as a finalist for Lancashire Woman of the Year three times and a finalist for Northwest Enterprising Woman.
In recent years she wrote of her early life in her published book, Old Nursing Times.
During Covid lockdown she wrote three other novels; Not on a bus route; They met at the Airport; And afterwards.
Funeral to take place on Friday 6th March at Burnley Crematorium at 11.30am with Rev. Liz Hamilton.
Family flowers only, donations to Rossendale Hospice, Haslingden Community Link and Veterans in Communities.
Funeral director Dawn Winfield Dip FD L.M.B.F.I.D. Fred Hamer Funeral Service, Rawtenstall.
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