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Members' Lounge => Obits => Topic started by: DaveR on January 21, 2015, 08:39:45 am

Title: Margaret Williams
Post by: DaveR on January 21, 2015, 08:39:45 am
Margaret Williams: Tributes to Conwy stalwart and owner of the Smallest House in Great Britain

Jan 19, 2015 17:56
By Mari Jones


A well-known journalist and author who owned the smallest house in Great Britain has died at the age of 83.

Margaret Williams, who was often seen outside the Conwy attraction in traditional Welsh costume, died at the High Pastures nursing home in Deganwy after a long illness.

She was a proud “Jac-Do” of Conwy, meaning she was born within the castle walls. Known for her vibrant fashion sense and trademark red lipstick, she wrote many books about Conwy, including one on the ghosts of the town.

She even led popular ghost tours, getting dressed up for the part.

Her family owned the smallest house, and Margaret became a well known sight greeting tourists on the quay.

In her younger days, she was a highly regarded journalist, starting her career on the North Wales Weekly News and working on the Chester Chronicle and in Liverpool.

Margaret, who never married, came back to Conwy to look after her elderly parents.

Local journalist Derek Bellis said: “I’ve known Margaret for many years, and recall her days as a journalist on the Weekly News.

“She was an extrovert who loved parties. She knew everybody in Conwy and they all knew her.”

Betty Pattinson, a former mayor of Conwy and a childhood friend of Margaret’s, said: “Her mother came from a well-known local fishing family, and her father from the Conwy Valley.

“Her father was a funeral director and also had a furniture business.

“Margaret was always very interested in what was going on in Conwy, and was active in the Conwy Civic Society.

“She was very proud to have made it as a journalist in what was then a very male-dominated world.”

Margaret Williams’ funeral takes place at 12pm on Friday, January 30. All donations should be made to St Mary’s Church c/o A C Lambert & Son.

http://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/margaret-williams-tributes-conwy-stalwart-8476570#rlabs=1 (http://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/margaret-williams-tributes-conwy-stalwart-8476570#rlabs=1)