Remembering Audrey Stocker
Audrey Stocker died on 14th December
Jenny Bunn wrote –
Audrey Stocker was a much loved friend for many years. We were both on the committee for the Hampstead Horticultural Society , which is where I first met her. I was the Secretary and Audrey ran the annual coach trips to interesting gardens.
She was a great plants person, and always knew the names of unusual ones.
We used to go to Covent Garden for several years, on New Year’s Eve to see the Nutcracker ballet, and then went back to her house for supper.
I heard that no one was doing the flowers in the Chapel at the Royal Free Hospital, but I am not a good flower arranger, so asked Audrey if she was interested, and she went weekly for many years.
I managed to give a 90th birthday lunch for her, as a surprise, as she hated any fuss.
During lockdown we talked weekly, and although she was obviously tired, her son Guy who lived upstairs took her for a short walk twice a day, and she was always cheerful.
We will miss her, she was a very special person.
Sheena Ginnings wrote –
I have so many super memories of Audrey. She was a member of the flower team for many years and used to joke that she and B Willmer had the same style of flower arranging. They both did informal arrangements before it became the norm! She always did the flowers on the chest and used to bring vast amounts of greenery from her garden to share with everyone.
Audrey invited the flower team to her garden several times. The first time was before she gave up the chickens and gave each of us an egg. I can remember her helping when Jenny and Derek Bunn opened their garden for charity and she was such a knowledgeable plants person. I have several plants in the garden which she gave me, including a myrtle which is so prolific and is used practically every time I do flowers in church – pieces of which featured in the wedding scene of the HPC production of “The Sound of Music”!
