Betty Dimond Johns, nee Granger, has set the bar very high indeed. Little did the family think that when Edwin died in February 2000 at the age of 95 and a half that this would be exceeded. Unfortunately living to such an age, but not well enough to enjoy life, made infinitely worse by Betty being isolated from family and friends due to the Covid19 pandemic for large parts of the past two years. However, the family do thank most sincerely all those of you who did visit Betty at Hill House over the past 10 and a half years.
Betty was born at Tuck Mill, Payhembury on 15 February 1922, in the same bedroom as she herself gave birth to her three sons. Betty was an only child, no doubt cherished but not spoilt, and went to school in Payhembury. When she was just 15 years old her dad, Donald, died at the age of 42. Edwin by this time was already well established in the workings of the Mill and the farm at Tuck Mill, having worked there for the previous 12 years. So Betty, her mum Florence also known as Aunty Flo, and Edwin worked to keep Tuck Mill a going concern up to and during the second world war. During the war years when rationing was in place Aunty Flo and Betty looked after several evacuees and even had a “live in” German prisoner of war, Fritz Ubel, so life must have been extremely hard.
As a young woman Betty was a member of the Young Farmers and regularly took part in evening classes acquiring such skills as butter and cheese making, poultry drawing and many others which stood her in good stead when later she would start a poultry business on the farm, selling eggs and birds ready for
the table. These would include geese, turkeys, ducks and chicken.
Betty married Edwin on 3rd October 1945 and no doubt the mathematicians among you will have already worked out that she was 17 ½ years younger than Edwin. Their three sons, Derek, Donald and Clifford, all grew up at Tuck Mill, three generations under the same roof and they do not recall hearing a cross word, unless you count the time Donald crashed his dad’s car into a hedge on the way to a dance. Betty and Aunt Flo were obviously very generous of spirit as there would be at least three people, who would otherwise have been on their own, sat down to eat Christmas dinner at the Tuck Mill kitchen table.
Even though Edwin was much older than Betty and maybe more set in his ways, the transition from Betty and Edwin to Derek and Dinah at Tuck Mill happened in a structured and orderly manner, which one suspects does not always happen in farming families.
There was quite a competitive streak in Betty and she would enjoy entering numerous classes in the Honiton Fatstock show at Christmas and at the Honiton Agricultural Show in August, winning the cup for most points in show on many occasions. Betty would later go on to become a judge at those events.
As teenagers growing up Derek and Donald would go to local dances in the Parish Hall, Harvest Supper dances and Young Farmers events and who should be there, you’ve guessed it, Betty and Edwin of course. How else do you think they learnt how to do the ‘Dinky One Step’, the Military Two Step or the Barn Dance, just grab a partner and copy mum and dad? I don’t suppose many young people today would willingly find themselves in a similar situation.
Betty obviously loved her gardening, both vegetables and flowers, her favourite flowers being Narine lilies and Honeysuckle. This led to her being a founder member of the Payhembury Spring Bulb and Flower Show, taking a leading role for over 50 years. She was also involved in the initial production of the Parish Paper, which is still going strong today. She was also a prominent member of the Parochial Church Council at St Mary’s.
Betty enjoyed good health generally but at age 59 she had both her hips replaced. She was told to look after them as they were designed to last 10 years. I’m told that she actually did her best to wear them out. It was at this point that Betty and Edwin moved from Tuck Mill up the road to Blue Anchor. One hip joint failed after 15 years due, to a fall, but the other was still in place when Betty died.
Betty’s emotional attachment to both Tuck Mill and Blue Anchor meant she felt unable to move to the village which the family felt would have been a good idea as it would have enabled her to be close to her life long loves of the Church, the WI, Mother’s Union and indeed all those friends involved in all these activities that framed Betty’s life in the parish of Payhembury over the period ending when she went to live at Hill House at the age of 89.
At the obvious risk of omitting to mention the majority of the people who played a large part in Betty’s life I must just relate a couple of instances on perhaps a lighter note. Some of you present today will no doubt relate to the regular visits by Marty, everyone’s favourite postman, who would enter Blue Anchor by the back door, grab a cake out of the tin and check that Betty was okay, even when he didn’t have any post for her.
On one of Donald’s visits to see his mum at Hill House who should already be there but Joy Morgan and Di Somers. As you might expect a lively conversation and a bit of laughter ensued. However, the next time Donald visited his mum he got well and truly told off, why, because he had spent too much time talking to Joy and not to her. That is the spirit the family wish to remember in Betty. Unfortunately that spirit diminished over the past few years, exacerbated by the Covid19 pandemic.
I know that I have only touched the surface of Betty’s life but all those that have known her can be grateful to have shared in even the smallest part of it.
Donald Johns (son)
