Treasured great-grandmother Nora Betty Smallcalder has died at the age of 92.

Born in Bournemouth in 1923, Nora was the youngest of five children, which included her siblings, Owen, Eileen, Jack and Walter, looked after by her parents, Tom and Appulina Daisy Thomas. The family had moved from London due to her dad's ill health, running a grocery business in a rented shop/ However her dad, Tom, died just a year after Nora was born.

Their mum continued to run the family business while bringing up the children, meaning that she worked long hours six days a week and only had public holidays off for trips away with the children. Nora would help with delivering groceries on a track bike from a young age and she continued to cycle into her 70s.

Nora met her future husband while he was visiting his sister who lived opposite the grocery shop. Their romance blossomed during the first few months of the war and before he was posted overseas, he asked Nora's mum for permission to marry Nora, before they got engaged during a cinema trip.

Their romance continued through the war, while Don served in Egypt, Sicily, Italy and through the invasion of France/Germany and they were married in 1945.

She continued helping her mum by working in the family grocery shop and husband, Don, eventually started his own business in the Muscliffe Road shop offering antique restoration, upholstery, carpet fitting and more. They worked hard at the business and were able to move to their own premises on Ripon Road, which had a purpose-built workshop so he could work from home.

Together they had two children, Barrie, who arrived in 1947, and Richard who came along in 1950. Nora enjoyed knitting clothes for the children, holidays to Devon and Cornwall with husband, Don, and their family, walking in the New Forest and filling the front garden with roses and bedding plants.

They had five grandchildren, Lauren, David, Richard, Stephen and Rachel and Nora was a great grandmother to Zara.

She moved to Castledene care home in Bournemouth due to ill health following husband, Don's death, but her family note that she kept her good sense of humour.

She died on October 25 and a service of thanksgiving was held at Hinton Woodland Burial Ground on November 10.