OBITUARY

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume 54, Issue 32522, 10 January 1945, Page 8

OBITUARY

MRS OWEN EVANS PIONEER OF THE DISTRICT On Friday, December 22, there passed away peacefully at her daughter’s residence, Coromandel, Mrs Owen Evans, an old* pioneer resident of Colville and 1 Coromandel. Born in Auckland 1 72 years ago, the late Mrs Evans came to Cabbage Bay with her people, 4 later marrying Mr Owen Evans and settling there and bringing up a large family of sons and daughters. About 15 years ago Mr and Mrs Evans came to reside in Coromandel where soon after Mrs Evans was taken ill, leaving her an invalid up till the time of her death. Mr Evans predeceased her five years ago. OLD SETTLER PASSES MR MATTHEW E. WARD The death occurred at his residence, “Colville Grange,” Colville, on December 21, of Mr Matthew Edmund Ward. The late Mr Ward was born at Hex-ham-on-Tyne, England, coming to New Zealand 59 years ago with his parents and two brothers, the late William and George and a sister, the late Mrs! Chambers. The family took up farming on the Peninsula, clearing scrub to build their first home. Later they cleared many hundreds of acres for farming. In 1896 he married Miss Fanny Mairn of Port Charles. Mr Ward who has been a very active man all his life died in his 84th. ■ year. He is survived by seven sons and one daughter. The youngest son is at present a prisoner of war in Germany. MRS MARY ANN WHITE OLD COROMANDEL RESIDENT One of the early residents of the Thames and Coromandel districts, Mrs Mary Ann White, died at Auckland recently, at the age of 71 years. Mrs White was born at Coromandel in 1873, her name being Mary Duross, and it was there, in 1896, that she married Mr W. White, the founder of the firm of Wm. White and Sons. Mrs White helped in many ways to bring the success' which it has to-day to the firm.

She was a liberal giver to any worthy cause, and was always a liberal supporter of orphanage appeals. She had the honour of being made a life member of the Thames Plunket Society, in the work of which she was keenly interested. Mrs White lived in Thames for 35 years and is survived by her husband and six children, who are:—Mesdames A. Dovell (Auckland), S. Steele (Auckland), A. Johnston (Ngatea), and Messrs L. E. White (Thames), and Roy White and Ralph White (both of Auckland).