A singer and mother who was central to the North Harrow community has died, leaving her daughters and community with many fond memories.
Joy Tweedy died of cancer on January 2, after decades of representing Harrow at the Royal Albert Hall and across Europe with Harrow Choral Society.
Mrs Tweedy was a member of St Alban’s Church Choir, based at St Alban’s Church in The Ridgeway, North Harrow, and heavily involved with North Harrow Townswomen’s Guild.
She will be remembered as someone who loyally supported others to get involved.
Daughter Maggie told the Observer: “She encouraged people who maybe didn’t feel so confident themselves, to join a choir. Singing was her life.
“She was very committed to anything she joined, and put in a lot of energy behind the scenes.”
Born in Wimbledon, south-west London, Mrs Tweedy moved to West Avenue in North Harrow in 1954, where she raised her two children Ann and Maggie. She later moved to Highfield Avenue in Pinner and worked as a lab assistant at various schools in Brent.
Mrs Tweedy and husband Stanley celebrated their silver wedding anniversary in 1976. Soon after, Stanley developed meningitis and died in 1980. Thanks to Mrs Tweedy’s energetic spirit, her loss inspired her to take on more challenges.
Maggie said: “It was a difficult phase in her life. She was very dedicated to caring for him but after he died, she did quite a lot of travelling along with the Harrow Choral Society who performed all around Europe.”
For 50 years, she rarely missed a concert, and sang in 18 promenade concerts in the1960s and 70s, some under the baton of Sir Malcolm Sargent, who was regarded as Britain’s leading conductor of choral works.
Also a fond gardener, Mrs Tweedy took a lot of pride in her flowers.
“She loved her roses,” Maggie said. “Me and my sister, Ann, saw recently that there are no roses in her old garden, so we would like to go back there and plant one for her.”
A funeral service will be held at 1.45pm on Wednesday next week at St Alban’s Church, where Mrs Tweedy was a long-standing parishioner.
The family have asked for donations to be made to the Clic Sargent cancer charity via www.clicsargent.org.uk.
