TRAINED nurse and former theatre restaurant manager, Leone Exton Beale, has died at the age of 94.

Leone was born on April 29, 1922 to Leo and Grace Exton at the Linden Hall Hotel in Boscombe. Her father worked as a successful Bournemouth hotelier and businessman and Leone was raised at their family home in Sandbanks with her younger sister, Valerie, and brother, Clive.

After leaving education, she trained as a nurse and then worked in the munitions factory in Westover Road in Bournemouth to support the British forces during World War Two.

When the war was over, the family moved to London and Leone joined Moral Re-Armament (MRA), now known as Initiative of Change, full time.

She became very involved, alongside her sister Val, in their theatre productions and touring plays and the sisters enjoyed some amazing experiences with the MRA, touring in America, Europe and India.

On her return to England, Leone helped establish the new Westminster Theatre next to Buckingham Palace, where she was responsible for managing the restaurant and catering facilities at the theatre, which was frequently visited by politicians and celebrities.

She retired from the theatre in 1993 and moved to Bournemouth, which always held a fond place in her heart.

While in the town, she met up with her teenage sweetheart, Frank Beale, a director of the Beales Department Stores family business and a past Mayor of Bournemouth. At the time, he was recently widowed, but their romance was re-ignited and they were married on the September 26, 1993.

Together the couple had enjoyed seven happy years together before Frank passed away.

Both were great supporters of the Richmond Hill St Andrews United Reformed Church, where Frank had been an Elder and they were active members of the church. Leone spent her life being guided by her Christian values which had been instilled in her during her time with MRA.

During her life, Leone wrote two books, Bluebird: A Romance Through Life and My Sister Valerie.

Leone is survived by her step daughter and son-in-law, Susan and Stuart Dunn, and her nephews and nieces, Jonathan, Gae, Lin, Clive, Leigh, Abbi and Joanne, as well as all her grand nephews and nieces.

Leone died on September 15 and her funeral took place on Wednesday, October 6 at Richmond Hill St Andrews United Reformed Church with donations going to The Alzheimer’s Society and The Children of Uganda (UK).