Family pays tribute to Valley's oldest resident who died aged 106

Tributes are pouring in for a keen golfer and retired headteacher who lived to the incredible age of 106.
Connie HindleConnie Hindle
Connie Hindle

A funeral service will be held tomorrow (Wednesday) at Clitheroe Parish Church for Constance Mary Hindle - affectionately known as Connie - who died at Royal Blackburn Hospital. Only last month she celebrated her 106th birthday.

Connie came from a long line of strong women and she maintained this tradition to the end. Born to artist Joseph and Beatrice in 1913, during the reign of George 5th, her siblings were Douglas, Marjorie and Eric.

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Connie attended Accrington Grammar, a mixed grammar school where she enjoyed sciences and maths. After school, in 1927, Connie attended teacher-training college to train as a maths teacher, taking advantage of all the additional teacher training places on offer after the school leaving age was about to be increased to 15. In 1935 the financial crash and impending war meant that the government delayed the increase in the school leaving age and, with all the teachers now looking for a job, Connie took a temporary job as an infant school teacher, this temporary job was the start of her long and successful career as a teacher which ended with her as headmistress of the infants school in Nelson.

Connie came from a long line of teachers, her mother, uncle, three aunts and a cousin were all teachers.

As a maths teacher, Connie had to take some additional exams as a primary teacher. She took these exams in Liverpool and, staying with her brother Douglas and sister in-law Ruth, remembered air raids during the exams – she often commented that the air raid that sounded during her botany exam was the luck she needed to pass the exams which gave her the qualification she needed as a primary school teacher.

Her nephew, Michael said: "Connie valued education highly and always took a keen interest in her nieces and nephews schooling, and then that of the next two generations, often much to their chagrin! Connie loved to travel and experience new people and places. Often with friends to play golf, but sometimes to visit friends and relatives. This adventurous spirit meant that when she was 89 she made a lone trip to Vancouver Island, Canada, to stay with niece Carol and family. During this trip she saw lots of the sights of British Columbia including Vancouver and a train through the Rocky Mountains. For her 90th birthday, Judith and Rachel (niece and great niece) took her on a trip to London, hoping on and off the London Tube, visiting lots of the sights and museums, she particularly enjoyed her ride on the London Eye."

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He added: "Driving before the introduction of tests, she enjoyed the freedom of driving until almost 90. Connie will be remembered as an excellent golfer, with a handicap of 10, playing regularly at Accrington Golf Club and later Clitheroe Golf Club. She was the last surviving member of the Enfield Golf club. Not wanting to be outdone by the younger generation, at 90 she got her first mobile phone. Despite living until the incredible age of 106, Connie had a pathological fear of getting a cold. Family members became expert at hiding their coughs and colds.

"Connie lived more than 25 years as a resident of Castle View House, and has been amazingly well looked after by Margot and the rest of the Abbeyfield staff."