About Me
First Name: Mavis Hannah Christina
Last Name: James
Date Born: 17 September 1928
Date Died: 24 October 2006
Birth Country: England England
Gender: Female

candleLight a candle for Mavis James

My Story

1928 to 2006
aged: 78
From: Prestatyn/warrington


Mavis was born in Warrington on 17 September 1928, the eldest child of John Allan 'Jock' & Ellen Hay. She is survived by her brother Allan and sister Heather.
In 1948 she married Kelvin James, a marriage that lasted to her death on Tuesday October 24th 2006; Kelvin is 82 and thankfully still with us. She and Kelvin raised 4 children, Allan born 1949, Stuart 1951, Melodie 1957 and Gareth 1966. She was also blessed with eight grandchildren, Melissa, Noel, Felicity, Matthew, Gregory, Nathaniel, Stephenie and Sabastian.

All her life Mavis sang, at school, in churches, semi-professionally in front of Dance Bands, anywhere there was music or a need for music. Those with long memories may recall that, when Lita Roza became the vocalist with Ted Heath's Jazz Orchestra in the 50's, Mavis was one of the 'runners up' for this prized position. Wherever there was music or song Mavis’s voice would be heard.

Mavis trained as a telephonist and worked as such both for the GPO and at Burtonwood US Airforce Base at the end of World War II and during the Vietnam War.
Until 1975 she lived and worked in the Warrington area but, after the death of her mother the family moved to Prestatyn where they have remained to this day.

Mavis's sight was fading gradually all through her life, caused initially by childhood illness as was her asthma. As long as she could she struggled to enjoy life to the fullest extent possible but her final year was hard with her sight almost gone, her hearing fading and her mobility greatly reduced by the pain of arthritis and osteoporosis.

Dylan Thomas's 'Do not go quietly into the night, but rage, rage against the dying of the light' was one of her favourite poems.

Sadly Mavis passed away in her sleep on October 24th 2006 at the Old Deanery, St Asaph. It is wonderful that Mavis was released without pain or awareness of her end. When her singing stopped – sadly soon after, so did she, now god has a very special angel who sings soprano.

Mavis was a wonderful mother and nanna and she will be sadly missed by all her family and friends. She may be gone but she will never be forgotten xx


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