FORMER school dinner lady and lunch club chairman, Maureen Stone, has died at the age of 83.

Born in Middlesex, some of her childhood was spent during World War Two and she would later tell her children about her memories of doodlebugs, which would make a loud sound before falling to the ground and exploding. She had told them that people would have to run fast if they saw that one had stopped.

After leaving education, she went to work in London in the National Provincial Bank (now NatWest), where she was to meet her future husband, Derek.

The couple got married in 1963 and decided to move to Fleet in Hampshire, where they went on to welcome a daughter, Caroline, and a son, Andrew.

Maureen took on a job as a dinner lady at a nearby infants school and also served as the secretary of a Scout group, whom she would help to raise money on weekends.

Following husband, Derek's, retirement in 1987, the family moved to Highcliffe in Dorset, where Maureen enjoyed spending her time seeing friends, cooking and baking and gardening, despite being diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis and Osteoarthritis.

Maureen was also a member of the Highcliffe Women’s Luncheon Club, with whom she was the fixture secretary for three years and chairman for a year.

She had a passion for looking after animals and Maureen had a number of cats and dogs at home, as well as enjoying holidays in Devon, Cornwall and Wales with her family, who were the most important thing in her life.

As the debilitating arthritis took hold, Maureen found herself able to move less and less, but would continue to dote on her grandchildren, James and Emma.

Following a long illness, she died on September 22 and her funeral took place on October 19 at the Holy Redeemer Church in Highcliffe.

Donations from friends and loved ones were made to Macmillan Caring Locally at Christchurch, St Bridget's Care Service and The Donkey Sanctuary.