A funeral service was held at the Parish Church, Driffield on Wednesday, February 20 for Mrs Dorothy Bowser, who died on the February 11.
The service was conducted by Curate Stuart Grant and the organist was Mr Martin Salter.
Dorothy was born on 1st July 1, 1926 in Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, the second eldest child and only daughter of the late Florence and Sydney Lawlor, sister to Sydney, Leslie and Peter.
She spent her young life in Driffield where she attended school there until the age of 16. After leaving school she enrolled as a cadet nurse at Broadgates Hospital in Beverley. She trained as a Registered Mental Nurse, and at the age of 21 years became a nursing sister. Over the years she worked in Brandesburton Hospital, East Riding General in Driffield and the Delapole Hospital in Willerby. Nursing was her life which she spent well over 50 years doing before retiring in her late 60’s. After her retirement she helped her daughter run her residential home for the elderly and helped look after her own mother and brother Peter who lived there until their passing in the early 90’s.
In her younger days she loved ballroom dancing, she was interested in many things such as bingo, tv soaps, strictly come dancing and Alfie Bouer singing the old classics. Madame Butterfly was her favourite opera and she loved the song ‘One fine day’.
She met her husband Harry Bowser in her late 20’s and had 4 children and 5 stepchildren. They sadly separated. Her children and grandchildren were the most important people in her life, she loved being with her family, spending hours with them any chance she could. She was a great cook and provider, always preparing lovely home cooked meals. When she was younger she would always have a never ending supply of food, her apple pies were amazing!
At one time she set up and ran the Nafferton Slack Café where people would come for miles to taste her dinners until the Driffield Bypass came and it closed. She went on to work at the Rex Club serving food. She liked to meet all the stars who appeared there, collecting autographs.
Dorothy loved life and was always out and about. She moved to Hull when she retired to be near her two sons, the shops and her favourite bingo halls. She passed her driving test at the age of 50 and drove all over the country.
One of her greatest pleasures was Hull Fair and she visited it last October.
She was a wonderful mother, grandmother, auntie and friend and will be greatly missed by her family and friends.
Chief mourners: Susan & Charles Warren (daughter & son in law), Jed & Charlotte (grandchildren), Paul & Maxine Bowser (son & daughter in law), David, Kayleigh & partner Scott,, Abbie & Lewis (grandchildren), Vanessa & Tony Russell (daughter & son in law), James, Matthew & Johnathan (grandsons), Nicholas Bowser (son), Josie Chippendale stepdaughter), Lyndsey (stepgranddaughter) Stacey Cleal (stepgranddaughter) Abbie, Holly Jacob & Liam (step great grandchildren), Robert Bowser (stepson), Michael Bowser (step grandson),
Others present: Benjamin Brown, Lavinia Kirk, Stephen Dixon, Lynn Stonehouse, Wendy Sammon, Kay Cox, Dennis Cox rep Miss Edie Ashton, Jackie Rugg, David Rugg rep Nancy Rugg, Mike Kirby, Annette Waites, Hilda Waites, Cynthia Sharp, Lynda Cox, Ray Grant.