LONG-term voluntary worker and school governor Irene Smith died on September 3, 2013 at Avoncliff Nursing Home, aged 86.

Described by her family as an “extraordinary lady” who despite having high standards was “not judgemental of others”, Irene’s funeral on Tuesday was attended by friends from her long and generous life.

She was born in May 1927 in Horwich, near Bolton in Lancashire, but her family moved to Enfield. She met future husband John as a teenager in Surrey in the 1930s when her father and his uncle were developing the Bren gun.

Irene and her family moved to Manchester during the war, then back to Enfield in 1945, and from then they saw each other every weekend.

In Manchester she worked in accounts for Manchester Dairies, and then in London at The Canary and English Tomato Boards and the London Port Authority.

Irene and John got engaged on her 19th birthday, and married on July 24, 1948, living first in Redhill, then in Reigate. They celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary this year.

While living in Surrey, sons Richard and Philip were born a year and four years after their wedding, and Irene began fundraising for the Ellen Terry Homes for handicapped children.

The family moved to Bournemouth in 1961 and daughter Deborah was born in 1967. Irene and a group of friends set up a pre-school playgroup, which is still running today, in 1970 in the St Barnabas church hall.

Between 1973 and 1993 Irene did extensive voluntary work with groups including the Pre-school Playgroup Association in Bournemouth, and the Early Years Association, the Community Health Council, the Community Healthcare Trust and the British Association for Early Childhood Education in Dorset.

From 1982 to 2006 she was a governor of Townsend Primary School, and from 1984 to 2009, of Summerbee First School, now Queen’s Park Infants School.

Irene’s work with these schools and their staff gave her very great satisfaction and enjoyment.

She battled a number of health problems in the last years of her life, but was well cared for at Avoncliff.

Before she died Irene told John how much she had enjoyed her life, and said she didn’t want people to be sad when it was time for her to go. She had five grandchildren.