WAREHAM community stalwart and former councillor Myrna Gomes-Maria died peacefully at Southampton General Hospital on July 26, aged 78.

She was secretary of the town’s twinning society (with Hemsbach in Germany) for 12 years, and its chairman for two from 2010 to 2012, a member of the Carnival Committee and Town Trust, and on the board of governors for Purbeck School for ten years.

She was chairman of the Civilian Committee of Wareham Air Training Corps for three years, and one of the original members of the town’s U3A group.

Putting her formidable organising skills to good use she arranged fundraising events for the Friends of Wareham Hospital, the town croquet club, the Royal British Legion and many others.

Mrs Gomes-Maria was born in Hammersmith Hospital, London, in April 1936 – in one of the first ever caesarean section deliveries.

An only child, she and her parents Charles and Evelyn Haynes moved from the Portobello Road to Purton in Wiltshire to escape the Blitz during the Second World War.

She trained as a nurse in Oxford, where she met her first husband Mike Thomas, with whom she had her two children.

Their first home was in Biggin Hill, Kent, where she worked at an airport, but her husband’s work eventually took the young family to Australia.

There, she was able to devote time to her great loves – amateur dramatics, nature and social events.

After an amicable dissolution of her marriage to Mr Thomas, she moved to Weymouth with her sons to start a new life, and during this transitional period of time, she met her Portuguese life partner Armando ‘Army’ Gomes-Maria, a merchant seaman.

Back in the UK, she worked in accounting, sales and manufacturing, but accompanied Army on voyages around the world.

For two years they moved to lived in Portugal near Army’s family, before returning to Dorset and Wareham, where they would settle.

They spent many happy years in Tinkers Lane. Sadly Army died from illness at just 59.

During her later years Mrs Gomes-Maria devoted herself to her community, volunteering for local groups and charities and serving as a town councillor from 1998 to 2002.

The council recognised her as its Volunteer of the Year in 2013.

Wareham-Hemsbach Society vice-chairman Eddie Byrom said: “Myrna was a hard worker not only for our society, but for many other organisations in Wareham and will be sorely missed.”

A memorial service was held in Lady St Mary’s Church, Wareham, on August 4, with Hemsbach mayor Jurgen Kirchner in attendance.

She leaves her sons Simon and Andrew, grandchildren Jacob, Luke, Emmie and Samuel and great-grandchild Marley.