Mum had suffered dementia for many years and her slow decline has been a difficult one, although freed her from many of life’s worries. She was happy in her last years, smiling and giggling, greatly enjoying the arts – painting, music, and the garden wildlife and of course her grandchildren and great grandchildren. Born Rosalind Kathleen Morrell in Wanstead, London on 4th September 1928 to Wilfred and Kathleen Morrell. Wilfred was the commercial director in his father-in-law’s glass making factory (Kings of Stratford) and Kathleen was a home economics teacher. Rosalind was brought up in a strong congregationalist teetotal family, with her older brother Clifford, younger sister Diana and Rupert the dog. She attended her first schools in Loughton. As war broke out. Kathleen took the children to stay with aunts in Minehead Somerset where Ros settled into war time education at Minehead Grammar school and then later on to Southlands teacher training college. Her school reports demonstrate her lifelong aversion for mathematics, but her love and talent for gymnastics and sport, the arts. Many say she could work harder, unsurprising, given she could always be found out on the sports field doing gymnastics with friends and swimming, as a certificated lifeguard or in a quiet corner with her head in a book. She had many male admirers, but none that she took seriously until Ralph Taylor. She caught his eye as she cheered him on winning the high jump at sports day. Their subsequent first ‘walk out’ together on VE day 1945 led to an eleven year engagement and a romance that never ended. They snatched ‘dates’ together when Ralph was home on leave from the Navy and theological college, either in Bristol, or a quick trip to Lion’s tea house and the cinema in London. They adored each other, his dashing good looks, sensitivity, kindness and utter loyalty. She was bright, tall, elegant and needed rescuing. An incredible faithful loving partnership was born that lasted over 77 years together. Her many friends reflect on what a remarkable woman, she was intelligent, tall, slim and always immaculately dressed. Ros had an innate ability to engage people in conversation, in her directness she could compete with any investigator, to get strangers to divulge all their personal details and their life history within minutes of chatting, many lead to lifelong friendships. After College, frustrated she couldn’t get a teaching job, she worked as an admin assistant in Midland Bank in London. But true to her always positive nature, she was happy that she was based in the Finsbury Square branch rather than in the city, which made it an easy commute from Wanstead. Soon after she started out on her career as a primary school teacher, in London’s outer east end, always with the youngest reception children. She was extremely diligent and dedicated to the children she taught, spending hours writing and preparing lessons, resources and children’s writing books. In 1954, as a relatively newly qualified teacher and single young woman, with the support of the Methodist Missionary Society, she set sail on the SS Canton for Bombay and to teaching at a boarding school in the hills of South India in Ooticumund. She was in charge of the reception class made up of Indian and European children. Ralph followed 6 months later to attend language school in Bangalore 170miles away and a 9 hour train ride. They would snatch ‘dates’ every few months walking in the hills around Ooti until finally Ralph took up his posting in Madras and the bishop gave his blessing to their marriage in December 1955. Even then she had to go back to Ooti, the other side of the country, or a further 6 months to complete her teacher contract. Ralph’s best man Roy Manson wrote “we were very much aware of his legendary fiancée…to meet a couple who had been sweethearts even at high school more than a decade before and who remained in faithful love for one another was truly humbling and ennobling… And there she was – a tall, elegant gorgeous bride… no wonder he was prepared to wait! Roy’s lasting impressions of Rosalind was of a mother who knew more ways of diverting a wayward child than can be imagined. Of a hostess who took all in her stride and was infinitely welcoming and who never made one feel she could be put out by anything. And of a wife who was born to be the life partner of Ralph Taylor.” Babies quickly followed. ‘The boys’ Paul, Laurence and Crispin born in India and then on coming home to Luton in 1965 ’The little ones’ Clare and Aidan. On returning to England she continued to teach either short term or supply contracts wherever the family settled..Luton, Cleethorpes, Grimsby, Swindon, Norfolk, retiring at 60, when they left Norfolk for their final church posting in Bideford. She was an active ministers’ wife, supporting Ralph in his ministry, running the youngest Sunday school class, supporting the Women’s fellowship, church fetes and jumble sales and the consummate hostess to relations staying and for visitors to the Manse. She could often be found in the kitchen baking a cake for tea or the boys to take to school and making her infamous carrot soup as well as cooking up a good dinner. She was a master in making a very small amount of money go a long way, and creative in ensuring all were well fed and dressed. Mum’s favourite holidays involved walking in the hills and sitting on a beach, where she always performed her gymnastics and headstand (even into her 70’s). The annual family holidays were marked by her packing up the touring caravan, with the requisite bottle of orange squash, tangerine jelly, a cooked chicken and a cooked ham, to conjure up meals and sandwiches for 7 for two weeks! She got to traveling the world as they neared retirement and the children had flown the nest, discovering the mountains and beaches of Europe, a round world trip, taking in Fiji, Australia, Hawaii, trips to north America, Israel, and several trips back to their beloved South India. As they got older and her mind began to fail, they discovered cruising and took off to the Arctic and Norwegian Fjords, Brazil and the Amazon, and took the Queen Mary to New York and a wonderful break with Crispin and Gerti in North Carolina. She also loved music and to sing, she was an accomplished pianist and accompanist and could still tinkle out Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata in her lates 80’s and was singing hymns days before she died. Ros loved little children, she was fortunate to be bestowed with many, nothing made her happier than a cuddle a new great/grandchild, and read stories to them with great animation… favourites were Mrs Tittlemouse, Mrs Tiggywinkle. Even in her last few days of life she became animated by a visit from her great grandsons and these stories read to her. On constant throughout her adult life, if you couldn’t see her, she would be found crouching in the depths of a flower bed weeding and bringing it to order, well into the dark and her back was breaking, to be eased by a lovely evening bath and a good night’s sleep. Godspeed Mum

We have set up this memorial to Rosalind Kathleen. We hope that you find it a positive experience developing the site and that it becomes a place of comfort and inspiration for you to visit whenever you want or need to.