Sociable great-grandmother who loved to cook

ANNA CUNNINGHAM

GRANDMOTHER-OF-FOUR Anna Cunningham has sadly died, aged 80.

Born to Thomas and Catherine Reilly, Anna was one of nine children, and grew up in Glasgow’s Possilpark district.

After leaving St Cuthbert’s School aged 15, she worked in a series of shops selling everything from clothes to whisky.

In the late 1950s she met labourer Harry at Glasgow’s legendary Dennistoun Palais, and in 1960 the couple tied the knot at St Teresa’s Roman Catholic church. “It was a big wedding for the time,” says daughter Catherine.

The newlyweds set up home in the Maryhill area of Glasgow and went on to have one girl and two boys: Catherine, Tony, Andrew.

Daughter Catherine says: “My mum was the loveliest lady – she was kind-natured but also very glamorous. She and dad had a lot of friends. They were very sociable people.”

Anna was also a good cook and Catherine recalls her risottos and tea loaf with particular affection.

“They were both absolutely delicious,” she says with a smile.

As children Catherine, who is 12 years older than her brothers, recalls many a happy family holiday in Berwick-upon-Tweed, Scarborough and other seaside destinations. They also visited Ardrossan. “We’d often stay at campsites, and while we didn’t have a lot of money, we always had fun,” says Catherine.

Later on, caring Anna did her bit for the community by helping out at the Marie Curie charity shop in Springburn, Glasgow.

And after Harry, now 82 – who has outlived his wife –got a job as an electrician’s labourer on the railway, they would often take advantage of the free rail travel available to employees and former employees.

“Mum loved to head north to places like Oban,” says Catherine.

In due course, Anna became a grandmother – “she loved spending time with the grandchildren,” says her daughter – and by the time of her death she had four grandchildren and four greatgrandchilden.

However, 12 years ago Anna developed the debilitating, progressive Alzheimer’s disease.

“It’s such a dreadful illness,” says

Catherine. “And it got worse over the years, to the point where mum recognised very few relatives and friends.

“Eventually we had no choice but to put her into a care home – however, dad would go to visit her every single day which cheered her up. She recognised him right to the end.”

Despite the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, the care home allowed family members to visit Anna through a side door to the end of her life.

“Mum died just after we’d left her one day but a nurse was sitting with her when she finally slipped away,” says Catherine.

Social distancing restrictions were in place at Anna’s funeral at Lambhill Crematorium but “thankfully, the entire family still got to say their goodbyes either in person or via FaceTime”, says Catherine.

Neighbours also lined the street to clap as a hearse took Anna to the crematorium. “It was quite an emotional experience,” says Catherine. “Mum would have been touched by the gesture.”

CARING Anna worked for Marie Curie charity