Obituaries

Joan Riley nee Page

Joan was born on the 19 August 1929 in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan.

For the first four and a half years of her life she lived in Prince Albert, but after some severe cold prairie winters Harold a ‘linesman’ by profession and Doris a furrier decided it was time to head for the warmer winter climate of the UK.

They rented a shop/house at the corner of Greenwood Road and Sneinton Dale. 

At the age of 8 Joan attended Sneinton Dale School for Girls. In 1941 Joan was admitted as a ‘special place pupil’ at Mundella Grammar School. She excelled and in 1945 passed 8 GSEs, English, English Literature, History, Latin, French, Maths, General Science and art. Along the way she also passed a piano examination and excelled at tennis and netball.

It was at Mundella where she met her best friend Eileen who later married Dennis Viggers. 

On the 15 April 1946 Joan became a clerk at the Ministry of Labour and in 1947 she was admitted to the congregation of High Pavement Chapel. As a teenager she enjoyed life after the War and met Alan her then to be husband at the Palais de Dance in Nottingham.

They married on 16th April 1949 at High Pavement and Eileen was bridesmaid. 

When they married Joan and Alan first rented a house in Standhill Road, Nottingham before, in 1958 purchasing, 23 Hillview Road, which was about 2 minutes away. 

Joan was a very active tennis player and played regularly with Eileen and other friends at a local club. For two weeks of the year could always be found watching Wimbledon on television. Alan was a keen rugby player and played for Notts Rugby Club. When the team was at home Joan along with another great friend Margaret and others could always be found in the clubhouse making the post match refreshments. They moved from Nottingham in 1964.

Around 1981 Joan was admitted to hospital for surgery and when she came home she found out that Alan had put the house up for sale having seen a new build property in Northwood. Luckily for Alan, Joan liked the property too, but around 1990 Joan and Alan were on the move again this time back to Nottingham to be close to Joan’s now ageing parents.

Around 2014 Joan was diagnosed with dementia and started to need a lot of care and attention. She died on November 12th 2020.

Rest in peace Joan.