Elizabeth Smith (2020)

I am sad to convey the news that Elizabeth Smith passed away peacefully at Arrowe Park Hospital (Wirral) on 26th March.  She had been fighting pneumonia and complications for a couple of weeks, following a fall at her residential home, but had received wonderful care and was comfortable. Members of NWEMF will remember Elizabeth as an enthusiastic recorder player at workshops, summer schools and in ensembles around Wirral and Chester.  In particular she was a keen and accomplished participant at the NWEMF Summer Schools (from 1999) and subsequently at the Higham Early Music Summer Schools.  Elizabeth was a founder-member of Musicians of Clerkenwell who played widely and with other musicians, amateur and professional, for many years.  She showed exceptional musicianship and knowledge of the repertoire; also talent as a seamstress when the Musicians of Clerkenwell started to play 16th and 17th music in costume.   Elizabeth also played with the Linton Consort and served as a choral accompanist.  Above all, she was a joy to be with.  Sadly in recent years her musical activities were increasingly hindered by failing eyesight.  She is survived by her children Jennie and Jonathan, and grandsons Michael and Edward Small.

John Huthnance aided by Philip Gruar, Elizabeth Dodd, Thelma Williams, Helen McCann, Jonathan Small

From Jonathan Small:

My mum loved music all her life, she was responsible for starting me and my sister Jennie on our musical paths from our earliest days. I cannot remember a time when we didn’t have music in the house, and this was at a time when you played music on a radio or a gramophone with a speaker, not something stuck in your ear, so everyone around could hear. I learned so much music, hearing it coming up the stairs after bedtime! (The Four Seasons, Toccata and Fugue in D minor, Beethoven Violin Concerto….). Mum was always a great supporter of our musical efforts and encouraged us both in our early days, accompanying us on the piano. We would play competitive trio sonatas just to see who could keep up…I think it is really true that I would not be the musician I am had it not been for my mum. 

In her later years mum did really well for such a long time, battling her diabetes and other issues, and she never complained and just got on with it. She was in pretty good shape really until just a couple of years ago, when her memory started to go, sadly. The stoic Aussie in her always came through, and in some ways this led to her demise, in that she was so conditioned to do things for herself and not trouble others, that she was still doing it when she really needed to ask for help! There was just no stopping her.

I can’t remember mum ever having a cross word to say about anyone, and everyone I talk to has the same comment about her warmth and friendliness, and her grace and dignity. We’ll miss her terribly. In the present straits we can’t have much of a send-off for her, but we are planning to hold a service of thanksgiving at mum’s church in Greasby when life is back to “normal”, most likely next spring.

We thank everyone for your kind thoughts at this time.

Published in April 2020 Newsletter