St Luke's Church, Eccleshill - The Link magazine

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August 2003, Page 6.

Note: we do not normally publish obituaries on our web site, although they do appear in the paper copies of our magazine. This one is only being included because of the memories it records about the history of our church. In due course we will be including this information in the "history" section of our web site.

Kathleen Illingworth
9th January 1904 - 14th June 2003

When St Luke’s Eccleshill opened in 1848, Kathy’s great grandfather William Thornton, a grocer in Victoria Road, was Churchwarden. Her grandfather John Thornton was Choirmaster (his photograph still adorns the choir vestry), and John’s brother Christopher Thornton was schoolmaster and played the cello in the church orchestra (before the 1862 organ). Her grandmother Sarah (John’s wife) was one of the first Sunday School teachers, and as she lived until 1922 (aged 90), she could tell Kathy stories of services in Gate House Farm off Bolton Road in the days before the church building was erected.

Kathleen was born in Mount Avenue, and moved to Prospect Street in early childhood. She was an only child to parents who were very involved in the life of the church. Her father, Walter Brown Illingworth, was a Sunday School Superintendent, and also the first Superintendent of the local branch of the St John’s Ambulance Brigade, which used to meet in premises belonging to the congregational church (as it was then). He died in 1953, having been cared for by his daughter after the death of his wife twenty years earlier. Kathy continued to live in the family home until 1990, when she moved to residential care.

Kathy was a strong supporter of church activities for the whole of her life. She took a keen interest in drama - in those days the Mothers’ Union used to put on plays, and old photographs show that she featured in several of them. She used to read the bible in church services, and it has been suggested that a lectern bible would be a fitting tribute to her memory. She was always in the kitchen at “do’s”, preferring to be a ‘background’ rather than a ‘foreground’ person. Single all her life, she was nevertheless a loyal and active member of the Mothers’ Union. She hosted house-groups as part of her church commitment, and believed in generosity to friends, neighbours and to the needs of the church. She was also quite happy to give possessions away.

Kathy was essentially a contented lady who never complained, never said a bad word about anyone, and never wanted to be any trouble to anyone. Perhaps this is why a relatively large number of people came to her funeral service, when she had, after all, been virtually housebound for several years? Perhaps it also explains why she stayed at The Poplars even when there was a case for her to be moved to nursing rather than residential care?

Lately Kathy became confused and a little anxious. She would ask me if she would really be reunited to her parents and to Jesus when it came to her death. I think this was her illness rather than her character. At her funeral we remembered St John’s words: “I write this to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life” (1 John 5:12). Each of us who trust in Jesus can know, because the bible makes us a promise.

John Hartley

 

This web page was last updated on 6th October 2003.