Former councillor and mayor ‘was a very special lady’
SHE DEDICATED HER LIFE TO HELPING OTHERS
AN inspirational and selfless former councillor and mayor who devoted most of her life to helping the people of Barton has sadly died at the age of 88.
Wendy Witter MBE served for 50 years as an independent councillor on Barton Town Council, before stepping down aged 83.
Over many years, she threw herself into helping the causes she was passionate about, being appointed as the Director of the North Lincolnshire branches of charities Age UK and Voluntary Action.
But it was Wendy’s efforts in helping disabled people in the area find employment that earned her a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in 1992 - an honour she was incredibly “humbled” by.
She leaves behind two sons John and Richard, four grandchildren and four great-grandchildren, with one on the way, as well as thousands of people in the Barton area who she helped over the years.
Wendy was born on February 28, 1936, in Scunthorpe, and attended Scunthorpe High School before leaving to take up a prestigious traineeship working for British restaurant chain store J Lyons & Co in London.
She eventually moved back to Scunthorpe to work for the family’s window-cleaning business, and met her future husband David at a party in the town.
On June 14, 1958, Wendy and David were married. John was born in 1959 and Richard was born in 1963.
In 1968, the family relocated from Scunthorpe to Barton, with Wendy joining Barton Town Council shortly after moving to the area.
She was also the school governess for St Hugh’s Special School in Scunthorpe and Baysgarth School in Barton, as well as being a member of the Medical Ethics Board, Agricultural Training Board and the Gas Consumers’ Council.
Not only this, but Wendy worked tirelessly with the former Ada Flower Charity in Barton, which provided transport and other essentials for people visiting their poorly loved ones in hospital.
She was elected as the Mayor of Barton on three separate occasions, in 1976, 1996 and 2006.
Speaking to Scunthorpe Live, Wendy’s sons said: “She was a true inspiration.
“She did 50 years on Barton Town Council and devoted nearly all her working life to the town of Barton and its citizens.
“She was awarded an MBE for helping disabled people find work, and was really humbled and happy when she received the letter.
“She loved walking, and walked the Viking Way and Wolds Way, and loved going on holidays with her family.
“She enjoyed visiting Devon and Cornwall, Isle of Aron and the Yorkshire Dales, and would take the grandkids to places like Paris and Venice. She also liked a good pampering session at Ragdale Hall.”
Wendy’s granddaughter Amie said: “She was wonderful.
“She taught us to bake and sew and took us on a lot of cultural experiences abroad, she loved teaching us things, and would always get me to type up my recipes on the computer after I’d made them.
“She’d leave grandpa at home and give him a list of jobs to do.
“She was a very special lady.”
She was a true inspiration. She did 50 years on Barton Town Council and devoted nearly all her working life to the town of Barton and its citizens
Eastoft Road, Crowle, where a new access road would go to the proposed development