Ryde resident, former social worker and chair of Home Start, Gillian (Gill) Humphries has died aged 90.

Born in North London in 1930, Mrs Humphries spent her childhood in London with spells of evacuation after the outbreak of the Second World War, to the Isle of Wight and Sussex.

As a dedicated Girl Guide and Ranger, she met Lady Baden Powell, and the movement remained an important part of her life.

After the war, she secured secretarial work in central London. When she met John (Jack) Humphries, a Coldstream Guardsman, in 1951 she spent the next few years running across London during her lunch break to watch him on ceremonial duties.

They married in his home town of Wickersley, South Yorkshire, in 1954 and spent their honeymoon in Ventnor.

They remained married for 65 years until his death in 2019, aged 89.

They had two children, Sally and James. Mrs Humphries started to work with young people while the children were young, running a Girl Guide troop at St Cuthbert’s Church, where she was a member of the congregation.

After training as a play therapist, Mrs Humphries worked for many happy years in the children’s ward at the newly opened Northwick Park Hospital.

In 1977 the family moved to Seaview and Mrs Humphries worked for the rest of her career as a social worker with children and families for the Isle of Wight County Council.

On the couple's retirement, they moved to Ryde and Mrs Humphries volunteered with Home Start, acting as chair of the charity in Ryde.

She joined the congregation at St James’ Church, whose companionship and fellowship she enjoyed until her very last days.

Mr and Mrs Humphries travelled widely during their retirement, visiting family in Australia and Canada as well as reunion visits with the Coldstream Guards to Malaysia.

Mrs Humphries also supported her husband in setting up the Isle of Wight branch of the Coldstream Guards Association, who granted her honorary membership in recognition of her services to the branch.

As well as her sister Susan, Mrs Humphries was unexpectedly reunited during her life with brothers and sisters in Britain and Canada, who remained a source of great joy to her.

Mrs Humphries spent her last three years at Orchard House care home in Newport where she was well loved and looked after.

She leaves her children, grandchildren Lucy, Rachel, Isaac and Edward, great-grandson Harrison and her sister Susan.