Mrs Betty Harrower

Betty was born in 1917 at The Smithy, Ackenthwaite, Milnthorpe being the only child of William Cragg Douthwaite the blacksmith who at that time, when the horse still dominated agriculture, employed five farriers. Her mother Ada was the daughter of a Milnthorpe jeweller and niece of Edward Abbatt, a one time Mayor of Kendal.

Betty was educated firstly at St Thomas’ School, Milnthorpe and then at a commercial college in Kendal before she landed a plum job as the personal secretary to Wimborne Terry Jenkins, an American, who was Managing Director of Libby’s Milk Factory which had opened at Ackenthwaite in 1934.

Although she remained a member of Libby’s management team for over twenty years, Betty played a full part in community life. She was a talented actress performing firstly with Milnthorpe Amateur Dramatics and was a founder member in 1947 of the South Westmorland Stage and Screen Society which has evolved into The Heron Theatre Trust at Beetham. In 1955 she played Bloody Mary in ‘Room in the Tower’ a play about the execution of Lady Jane Grey which won the regional Drama finals. Later Betty staged an adaptation of T.S. Elliot’s ‘Cats’ long before Andrew Lloyd Weber’s version reached the West End.

Always musical, Betty had been in the Milnthorpe School Choir which won the top children’s singing award at a Mary Wakefield Festival in the 1920s. She recalled how the winning choir consisting of forty girls all dressed in white voile frocks paraded with their trophy and banner the mile long route from Heversham Station to Milnthorpe where they received a rousing reception.

From her childhood Betty sang for fifty years in the choir of Milnthorpe Parish Church where she was also a long serving member of the Church Council. She was a member of Milnthorpe Women’s Institute and an ardent worker for local causes especially Barnardo’s. During the Second World War she belonged to the Milnthorpe branch of the Auxiliary Fire Brigade where she was remembered as being a ‘laugh a minute’.

Well into middle age Betty was a notable sportsperson being a champion Badminton player and a member of the Westmorland County Tennis team which won many trophies. For over twenty years she attended with a group of local friends, the Wimbledon Tennis championships. In 1951 she married Peter Harrower who came from Fife but who worked locally as an engineer. They made their home at The Homestead which her parent’s had built next door to the old Ackenthwaite Smithy. Then, in 1976, following a job transfer for Peter, they moved to Nether Stowey in Somerset. Here Betty was busy locally especially in the Church and WI.

After an absence from the district of seven years, the couple returned to live at Plantation Avenue Arnside. Betty became a regular worshipper at Arnside Parish Church but retained her connection with Milnthorpe where she produced a dramatic performance celebrating the church’s 150th anniversary in 1987. Following Peter’s death in 2004, Betty moved first to Millom Court at Arnside and two years ago to Croftside in her native Milnthorpe where she died peacefully. Despite having hosts of friends Betty had very few relatives. She is survived by her husband’s nephews Peter and Tom Pearce and also by her godchildren Mrs Alexandra McGlade and Dr Simon Wilson to whom she was particularly close.

Prior to cremation there was a representative attendance at the funeral service at Milnthorpe Parish Church which was conducted by The Rev Sue Wilson with the personal address being given by Roger Bingham, a lifelong friend.