Constance Hird

Published 4:41 pm Saturday, October 14, 2023

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29th December 1920 – 8th October 2023

Bridlington, East Yorkshire, England – At the ripe old age of 102 Connie died peacefully in hospital. Born in Bradford, Yorkshire, Connie left school at 14 and over the years became an expert seamstress, ultimately becoming a designer and teacher. She went back to college in her 40s and gained a City and Guilds diploma, whereafter she spent many years teaching at Shipley College.

She was married on October 2, 1943 to Eric, and they were happily married for almost 70 years. Eric and Connie were the proud parents of David (Brora, Scotland) and Barbara (Manteo.) After Barbara emigrated to the USA, Eric and Connie made numerous visits to wherever Barbara lived, and in particular Manteo, where they enjoyed Barbara’s performances as Queen Elizabeth in The Lost Colony. They also enthusiastically followed Barbara’s theatre performances in South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, New York, Edinburgh, Scotland, London and Hatfield, England, and Youghal, Ireland. They made many friends during their sojourns to the USA and enjoyed reunions with many of them during reciprocal visits in England.

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Soon after the outbreak of World War II Connie was conscripted into the WAAF while Eric remained a civilian in a reserved occupation. After completion of training, she was moved around England wherever her skills demanded and while she was proud to serve her country, she loathed every minute of it. Perhaps the single exception being an unheralded occasion when the Glenn Miller Orchestra made a surprise appearance at a dance hosted by the Americans at a nearby base in Wiltshire. In addition to the excitement of dancing with the GIs, she also thoroughly enjoyed the food provided by the Americans, which was vastly superior to the food available in the UK during the war.

Connie is survived by her daughter Barbara, son David, grandson Nicholas, and great-grandson Harry.

She lived a full and productive life, and had many happy memories to reflect on as she grew older and became infirm. She will be remembered.

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