My aunt, Peggy Stockdale, who has died aged 94, was a career civil servant and community stalwart whose distinctive ethos had a lasting impact on her family and friends.
Daughter of Harold Stockdale, a colliery blacksmith, and his wife, Marjorie (nee Eastwood), she was born in Warsop, Nottinghamshire. She was the first person in her junior school to pass the scholarship exam and her teachers presented her with a Swan fountain pen to celebrate her success. She went on to Brunts grammar school (now the Brunts Academy) in Mansfield and passed the civil service entrance exam in 1939. Her parents were not enthusiastic about her moving to London with the second world war looming and she was posted to Nottingham. She was promoted rapidly and was running an office in Grantham, Lincolnshire, distributing petrol coupons by the age of 19.
Once the war had ended, Peggy’s dream of a posting to London was realised and she started work in Mayfair in the early 1950s at an exciting time, with the Festival of Britain and the coronation taking place. This sparked her 50-year tradition of attendance at royal and notable events – right up to millennium eve, which she spent on the South Bank.
Much of Peggy’s successful civil service career was spent with the Board of Trade, specialising in the investigation of shipping disasters in the merchant navy. On her retirement in 1982, she was appointed MBE. She was very proud of being a public servant and personified the civil service values of fairness, honesty and integrity.
Peggy was devoted to her family and spent much time with her five nieces and nephews, the children of her brother, Michael, and sister, Nancy. She influenced all of us and, in difficult situations, we would often ask ourselves: “What would Auntie Peggy do?”
Peggy moved to a flat in Richmond, south-west London, in 1971 and soon took over running the residents’ association. This was a considerable task spanning many years, during which she initiated and led the acquisition of the freehold of the estate. She had moved away from the Labour party during the SDP breakaway and was an active member of the Richmond Liberal Democrats until her death. She loved Wimbledon, Kew Gardens, walking in Scotland and Radio 4. She nurtured loyal friendships of all ages.
She is survived by Nancy, and by her nieces and nephews.
