Final farewell to mayor who was ‘asset’ to Henley

A FORMER mayor of Henley was described as the “soul” of her family at her funeral.

Elizabeth Hodgkin, who served in 2010 and 2012, died peacefully in her Henley home on October 19. She was 74.

About 100 mourners attended the ceremony at St Nicholas’s Church, Rotherfield Greys, on Thursday last week, where Mrs Hodgkin was a parishioner.

This included her children Peter, Christopher and Sarah and her grandchildren as well as extended family members, friends and former colleagues.

Her coffin was adorned with flowers as it was carried into the church.

Mrs Hodgkin was born in Saffron Walden, Essex, in 1951 to Robert and Dorris Mitchell and grew up with her siblings Robert, Helen, Alan and Mary.

In 2003, she was elected to Henley Town Council, where she would serve for 12 years.

She was involved in many community projects, playing an integral part of Henley in Bloom, the 60+ Social Club, Thamesfield Youth Association, Henley Educational Charity, Henley Municipal Charities and the Nomad youth and community project.

Mrs Hodgkin helped establish the “Gardening Buddies” volunteer group, which helps to care for the town’s green spaces.

The funeral was attended by former colleagues, including Councillors Stefan Gawrysiak, Sarah Miller and Ken Arlett.

The service was led by Rev Mark Ainsworth, priest-in-charge of the Nettlebed and Greys benefice.

A eulogy written by the children, family and friends of Mrs Hodgkin was read out by her daughter-in-law, Laura Hodgkin, and son-in-law, Leigh Hemming.

The children recalled the “warmth” and “determination” of a mother they described as a “guiding light”.

They said: “It is hard to find words that do justice to someone as deeply loved as mum. She wasn’t just the heart of the family, she was the soul.

“Her presence was steady and reassuring like the warmth and comfort of a cup of tea after a long day. We all know Liz would always offer you a cup of tea.

“She had a gift for making people feel safe, seen and valued, whether you were family, a friend or neighbour or someone she had only just met.”

They spoke of her early life with her four siblings, and later meeting Richard, who would be her husband for 51 years.

They said: “Liz was also blessed with inner strength and a quiet yet steely determination to make her own path.

“Her sisters remember that she always had a gift for making life fun. When they went to be measured for school uniforms the tailor muttered something that sounded rather like ‘30, 30, 30’.

“The girls giggled at this and decided that what was Liz’s figure was — straight up and down.

“From that moment she was determined to model and again, with that quiet determination, that clear knowledge of her own mind, off she set to make her way.” The children recalled her tireless generosity to her loved ones.

They said: “Mum was the unwavering foundation of our family. Four children in six years while dad worked long hours, she kept everything moving, with patience, with humour, with quiet strength and, maybe, just sometimes, the threat of the wooden spoon.

“She was the one who steered the ship, holding the household together, setting the boundaries, building the routines and traditions that shaped our childhoods.

“She made the house feel safe, she made it feel like home. Life with mum was full of laughter.”

They remembered Mrs Hodgkin’s love of serving her community, which included establishing the Gardening Buddies volunteer group, helping to run the youth centre and playing a role in the success of Henley in Bloom.

They said: “Mum’s generosity extended far beyond her family. In recognition of her many years of service to the community she was awarded the town medal in 2019.

“As an active member of the church, mum attended countless services, she was church warden, arranged flowers, sang in the choir, all of which brought her great joy.

“Her faith was gentle but unwavering. She found joy in small things — a well-tended garden, a good book and a cup of tea shared with someone she loved.

“Today we grieve but we also give thanks for the years we had, for the memories we hold and the love she gave so freely.

“Her legacy is in all of us, in how we treat each other and how we hold our families close and how we share kindness without needing to be answered.”

“Let us remember Liz not with tears but with gratitude, let us honour her by living with the warmth and grace and love that she lived by every day. Rest well Mum, you are a guiding light and always will be.”

The congregation sang All the Saints and Lord of Hopefulness. Rev Ainsworth read from Ecclesiastes 3:1-11 and John 14:1-6 and the congregation recited the Lord’s Prayer.

Rev Ainsworth delivered a sermon and described Mrs Hodgkin as having a “transcendent dimension to life”.

He said: “That meant she could diagnose how she felt and the reality of what she experienced through the lens of a loving God who has sent his son to die for and to rise again for her and who promised her eternal life with him.”

At the end of the service, following the blessing, Adagio from Spartacus was played by David Butler as Mrs Hodgkin’s coffin was carried out of the church for burial.

Donations in Mrs Hodgkin’s memory were given to Sue Ryder, which supported the family throughout her illness.