Mourners say farewell to Cllr Cynthia Endacott at civic funeral

A campaigning councillor who would discuss important community issues while she shopped for her family has been honoured by a civic funeral.

Friends, family and colleagues of Cllr Cynthia Endacott filled Windsor Parish Church yesterday.

Deputy mayor of Windsor and Maidenhead Cllr James Evans led the procession of fully-robed councillors into the church, followed by immediate past mayor Cllr Andrew Jenner and the Royal Borough mace.

But despite the civic pomp Cllr Endacott's family life and closeness to her community kept dominating the eulogies.

Her colleague on West Windsor Residents Association - its past chairman John Holdstock - said: "She was always there and ready to talk if you met her on the street or in the shops."

He thanked her husband John, saying: "Thank-you John for sharing your lovely wife with us. She was a star."

Her son Richard - a department head at Windsor Boys School - said: "This is the longest I have gone without speaking to my mum in my whole life. Her cooking was second to none. When I took her Welsh cakes into the staff room they disappeared at once."

Husband John said: "She was a wonderful wife to me and I shall miss her dearly."

Also mourning Cllr Endacott were her daughter Elizabeth, daughter-in-law Rachel, son-in-law Matthew, brother Reverend Stephen Oliver and granddaughters Seren, 11 and Ffion, six. Grandchildren James and Bethan were too young to attend.

Seren had written a poem about her grandmother specially  for the funeral. She also played a brief piece called Mountain Stream on the harp.

The vicar of All Saints Church in Dedworth - Cllr Endacott's local church - Reverend Louise Brown officiated at the service.