My aunt, Mary Keightley, who has died aged 92, used to remark that you didn’t have to look too far to understand why she wanted to work with children, and to make sure they had a better, more loving start in life than she had experienced.
She was born in Doluskey and grew up in Ballyliffor, County Derry, one of seven surviving children of Annie (nee Orr), a nurse, and Isaac Keightley, a farmer. Her mother died when Mary was four; Mary and her older sister, my mother, were handed to an elderly, childless couple. Mary stayed until she was 18, but my mother ran away.
Mary was never visited by her father, but some of her siblings saw her, including her brother Tommy, who persuaded the couple to let Mary run errands on a bicycle, which gave her a small measure of freedom. She also took comfort in the companionship of a similarly neglected dog. When looking after children in years to come, she always had a dog in the home, believing that there was a strong bond between child and animal.
When the couple died, Mary went to work in Belfast, and then, in her early 20s, with all her worldly possessions in one cardboard suitcase, took the night boat to Scotland, for a post in Bridge of Weir at the Orphan Homes of Scotland, now Quarriers. She was soon made house mother of House 13, to some 35 children, from toddlers to teenagers.
Initially she had no help other than that of the senior girls and boys, but eventually she was joined by an assistant, Ann Nelson, who became her great friend. Mary spoke fondly of those hectic days, despite responsibilities that would have daunted many older and more experienced people, and of living on little sleep and quantities of black coffee.
Later Mary moved to Kent and continued her work looking after children, running a home in Tunbridge Wells. Ann, who was 20 years her senior, went with her, and when she became old and frail Mary cared for her.
Next Mary moved to Mildenhall, Suffolk, to be near my parents. She remained there for the rest of her life, quietly making a place for herself in communities where she was respected and loved.
Mary faced her diagnosis of terminal oesophageal cancer with characteristic strength and courage. She had deeply held Christian beliefs and did not fear death, saying she had had a good life and was determined to die in her own home.
She is survived by a brother, Bill, nine nieces and nephews, 21 great-nieces and great-nephews and a number of great-great-nieces and great-great-nephews.
