Tributes for nurse who treated Melton patients for 45 years

Mary Findley who struggled with pulmonary fibrosis for two years, worked at Melton Mowbray Hospital up until March but became too ill to continue.

She was known to generations of local families, having also worked at the former St Mary’s and War Memorial Hospitals before they closed.

Her sister, Jill Harvey (63), who is also a nurse, told the Melton Times: “Mary must have cared for so many patients and families in and around Melton.

“When we were out together people were always stopping her and thanking her for the care she gave their relatives.

“She was an outstanding nurse who went above and beyond.

“Her best reward was seeing her patients going home healthy, knowing that she’d helped them to do that.”

Mary was born near Coalville in 1955 into a family which had lots of land with horses and pigs.

She went into nursing straight from school, training at Groby Road Hospital in Leicester and then moving to Melton, where she took up a role as an enrolled nurse at St Mary’s.

More training there qualified her as a registered general nurse.

When the hospital closed, Mary moved to the War Memorial Hospital and then on to the new town hospital, where she treated patients on Dalgleish Ward.

Jill, who is a community nurse at Oakham Hospital, said: “It was Mary’s influence that got me into it and between us we’ve done 90 years in nursing.

“We were a great support to one another, we would bounce ideas off each other.

“If we were a bit stuck with something to do with work we would ring each other up and ask what we should do.

“We had a great relationship. My other sister said we were like a double act.”

The job was a very different profession when Mary started out and she found it a challenge when the NHS became more computerised.

Jill recalled: “When we first started we were wearing white pinnies, frilly caps, belts and buckles.

“The pace was fast but not as fast as it is now.

“Now you are learning on the job and procedures are more high tech.

“For Mary and me, our biggest hurdle was trying to get our heads round using computers - we both congratulated ourselves when we learned how to switch the computer on.”

Mary was married to Stuart Greaves and the couple had two children - Gemma and Mark - plus a grandchild, Freya.

The couple separated and Mary enjoyed a relationship with her partner, Phil Waters.

She also leaves another sister, Margaret Bewley (69), a retired school teacher.

Mary retired from nursing but came back to work part-time.

She enjoyed walking, exercising her two dogs and holidays in the UK and abroad.

Jill added: “In every aspect of her life she was a very caring person.

“I’m sure many of her ex-patients will be very sad to hear that she’s gone.”

The family have have been inundated with flowers and cards expressing sympathy since Mary died at Glenfield Hospital on April 27.

Her daughter Gemma Greaves said: “We had the best childhood.

“She did everything for us, she was lovely and the best mum you could wish for.”

A funeral service is at Loughborough Crematorium, at 11.45am on Tuesday May 18.

Only family members and close friends are invited because of the Covid restrictions currently in place but friends and former colleagues are invited to pay their respects outside the chapel of rest.