This site is a tribute to Hilda May Johnson, who was born in Leyton on February 27, 1922 and who died at her home in East Bergholt on January 20, 2022.  The photo above was taken on Hilda's 99th birthday as she celebrated with an online family Bingo party. 

Mum to Michael, Jeffrey, Lesley and Richard.

Nanna to Amanda, Ashley, David, Sarah, Hattie, Anna, Thomas, Sam, Hugo and Finley.

Great Nanna to Jamie, Alexander, Emelia, Zac, Sam, Elisa, Cordelia, Henri, Amelie, Alfred, Humphrey, Oscar.

Hilda was born in Leyton, the second child of Albert and Olive Eeles, and one of a family of 6 children (Olive ("Dinnie"), Albert, Ronald, James, Patricia ). These were hard times for families, but Hilda told many happy stories of her childhood and the enterprising ways the children helped their parents to make ends meet. Hilda passed the exam to get into grammar school and later passed the entry test to the civil service.  She was later  a passionate advocate for the rights of every child to a good, free education; a conviction grounded in her own experience.

During the second World War, Hilda was evacuated to Harrogate with her office team and often talked of these times up in Yorkshire very fondly.  Meanwhile her family in Leyton had moved to a house opposite Colby Johnson's house in Sedgewick Road.  Hilda and Colby came into contact through Hilda's early morning bike rides when she was on  leave from Harrogate. They married when they were both 20. Michael was born just over a year later, and two years later Jeff was born too. The family moved to South Chingford and later to North Chingford where Lesley and Richard were born.  Both parents were very industrious in every way and were always making things and generally being very self-sufficient. They rarely employed anyone to do any painting/decorating, or building , but did it all themselves. Just as Hilda cooked, cleaned, worked outside the home part-time, and knitted lots of jumpers for the whole family and was also busy with her sewing machine in every spare minute she had.

Hilda's last job was organising "Meals on "Wheels" at LeytonTown Hall which she loved and did with great dedication and commitment.  When Colby Johnson retired, they bought a villa in Altea in Spain (having been there many times on holiday) and spent nearly 20 years there, having a good quality of life and enjoying a good social circle through the bowls club.  They retained a small flat in North Chingford and came back to live there when Colby’s health began to deteriorate.  After Colby's death, fourteen years ago, Hilda moved to Southwold to live near to Michael and Evie, and then moved to East Bergholt nearly eight years ago, following Michael and Evie moved there too.

Hilda's first priority was her large family and that priority never changed. Her immense creativity was expressed through painting, writing, and needlecraft of all kinds and that creativity also came through her activities with her children,grandchildren, and great grandchildren.She lived a healthy life style and was blessed with good health for many, many years.  She was proud of being referred to as a "brilliant goalkeeping Nanna" when she was well into her eighties and that praise reflected her readiness to take part in life for as long as she could with great, good humour.  One of Hilda's children’s stories was published as a book on the occasion of her 90th birthday. 

Hilda kept good contact with her whole family and maintained a great interest in every single member of that family.  As one of her dear grandchildren recently said of Hilda:"few people can have the wealth of joy that she had or can have brought such magic to people's lives!"  Hilda will be much missed; she was much loved, and a much-loving person.  That love "cannot be burnt or buried, but multiplies a thousand fold after death amongst the living".  We, her loving family, are deeply grateful for her life, as we are for that of our father.