Tributes have been made to a former publican who passed away on 22nd June aged 106 years old.
Evelyn Mason, or Evie as she was affectionately known, was born in Cleethorpes but moved to Bishop Auckland during the First World War where she attended Cockton Hill School.
After finishing her education she started work in the office at the United Bus Company. She also worked at the Hippodrome picture house as an usherette and for Ashton, which was part of Doggarts stores.
She met her husband Syd Mason, who was born in Close House, and they were married at St. Andrew’s Church in 1929.
In 1944 the couple moved into the Grosvenor W.M.C. as stewards where they stayed for eight years, before moving to the Alma Hotel in South Church Road, as landlord and landlady. They remained in the pub until their retirement in 1969, spending nearly 25 years in the licensing trade.
After leaving the Alma they moved back to their original home in Coronation.
In retirement the couple loved driving around the countryside visiting many pubs far and wide and Evie held a journal where she would give marks to each pub.
Unfortunately, Syd died in January 1992, when he was 89 years-old but Evie remained living independently until she was 98, when she moved into Church View Care Home in South Church.
She was an extremely popular resident at the home, where they even re-named one of the public rooms Alma Lounge in honour of her 17 years as landlady at the nearby pub.
On 23rd May this year Evie was admitted to Darlington Memorial Hospital after falling and breaking her hip. Her family say she was treated by staff there with ‘great care, attention, kindness and respect’.
She returned to Church View where she continued to receive excellent care, but slipped away peacefully in her sleep on Monday 22nd June.
The great-great-grandmother’s funeral was held at St Mark’s Church in Eldon on Monday 6th July. The cortege left from Church View where all the staff came outside to say farewell.
Fifty family and friends attended to say their last goodbyes to Evie, before she was carried out to ‘Time To Say Goodbye’ by Sarah Brightman and Quarantotto Sarori Peterson – one of her favourite songs.
Bishop Auckland's local community newspaper.
