Margaret Joan Brett

Aunt Margaret once sent me a set of pale blue embroidered handkerchiefs from Portugal— she and Uncle Don were always traveling. I cherished them so much. ♥️ She reminded me of Queen Elizabeth so much. Very classy woman. I am not sure I was her cup of tea, she was so proper and I was outspoken, a bit of a radical and opinionated! She did however love Emily, my daughter. When in London about 15 years ago Aunt Margaret and Uncle Don took Emily out for the day to visit museums and have tea. Emily had such a wonderful day and they adored her as she was / is a very proper young lady. Emily has fond memories of that day. I love Uncle Donald and hope he is doing as well as he can be. He really shaped my life and doesn’t know. He came to Michigan to visit us once when Heather was just a toddler. He went on and on about how cute she was and so I asked, “Am I cute?”. He paused and then said, “No, but you have a lot of personality”! So perfect. I learned then that looks do not matter — it’s what you do and who you are. Aunt Margaret was a force of nature. She will be missed by all.

Although Margaret seemed so proper restrained,she surprised me when at my 70th party I got her on the floor to jive with me to a rock and roll band,it was like she was transformed to a dizzy teenager and really enjoyed it,RIP Margaret

Margaret was so good to the Brett family. So many nieces and nephews (and great nieces and nephews) were invited to visit London and stay with her and Uncle Dondy. I still remember the first time I visited. Margaret took us to the National Gallery and we listened to a talk on Botticelli. A formative experience. We also went to an Italian restaurant, the first time I had been to a real restaurant. Margaret never missed sending a birthday or Christmas card. Nearly always a painting form the British Museum or National Gallery. Margaret had a great love of travel and went on amazing holidays. Sometimes we felt we had been there too when Margaret went through her holiday photos! They only came to visit us in Wales once ( just before lockdown) and enjoyed all the Roman history here. We’ll miss you Auntie Margaret. My deep condolences Don. Love from Denise

Auntie Margaret really was a force to be reckoned with. She was sassy, classy and the most fastidious organiser I have ever met. Her knowledge of the world and everything in it was unrivalled and whenever you met her you came away feeling more educated than before. Margaret was an interesting person with a passion for many things – Geography, the Arts and History – and of course, she loved London. Margaret enjoyed entertaining family members when they came to visit and would often buy tickets for a trip to the museum or theatre (I never did visit the British Museum with you) Afternoon tea would always be in the dining room with the finest white linen table cloth and china. Conversation would always be memories and interesting facts about the latest travels with Don including pictures, paper cuttings and any other source of information she could find. Sometimes she would bring back a souvenir from a faraway place especially for younger members of the family. Margaret always looked smart and colour coordinated. She enjoyed high end fashion and took a great deal of pride in her appearance and stature – she was a very elegant lady. Margaret was queen of the itinerary and her ability to coordinate any trip or excursion right down to very last millisecond was second to none. Perhaps my fondest memory is as a young girl, sitting on a tweed blanket in the gated garden of Tavistock Square, having a picnic of prawns and avocado. Passers by were staring in at us and I felt proper posh! It was also my first taste of avocado. We will all miss you Auntie Margaret. You really were one of a kind and visits to London will not be the same without you x

We were very saddened to hear of the death of our sister in law Margaret. We visited Margaret and Don on several occasions in London and spent some lovely weekends together when they came to visit us. Margaret’s favourite place to take us was The British Museum (4 times at least!!). On one visit, Donald said we needed a 7A bus. Margaret disagreed and said we needed the 7B. The 7B came along and on hopped Margaret leaving us all behind and waving her off!! When we finally arrived at the museum suffice to say, much of the visit went ahead in silence! On another occasion, we went for a meal at the Savoy Hotel, the first and only time we have ever been waited on by 7 people! Another memory is when we were enjoying afternoon tea round Margaret’s beautifully laid table and Doug accidentally spilt jam all over the tablecloth sending Margaret into a frenzy. Despite this, we were always welcomed back. Margaret was a strong-willed, educated and likeable character with a kind heart and we will always cherish the memories we have of her. The picture attached was taken some years ago on a day out together to a park in London. Rest In Peace Margaret xx

Both my sisters had left home when I was 15; I was still at school so Margaret was the sister that I only had a distant relationship with, while my other sister Christine was the sister that I grew up with and we were of similar vintage!! The early departure of both my sisters was sad but it made me independent early in life and I’m grateful for that as it gave me confidence to do my own thing. So Margaret was my dutiful sister and I remember her working locally at Finchley in the travel industry but having a vision of moving to central London, which she did and later met my brother-in-law Don. Margaret was difficult to persuade that she had got something or anything wrong; this sometimes led to ‘lively’ conversations at home! ‘Maggs’, as I used to call her long ago, was very kind and understanding with my sister Christine who needed sisterly appreciation during her teenage years whilst I was still interested in flying model aeroplanes and trying to look cool at parties. Much later I must have spoken to Margaret about about a canal restoration project near to me in Stroud that I’m involved with; so about 5 years ago she arranged an excursion to London’s Little Venice with my daughter Amanda that used her organisational skills. Later on we both decided to meet up following this and although it did happen covid and last year my brother Michael’s death altered these arrangements. I would like to end on a more cheerful note and say there were many laughs and some embarrassing moments at home and looking back it gave us 4 very different children a stable upbringing and you were a part of that Margaret, thank you. 

Gloria & Ian Margaret to us was not just a sister-in-law but the one person who would be the perfect organizer for a trip to London where we spent many weekends with Margaret and Don. Everything was planned to the finest detail which is a testament to her caring nature. Both Margaret and Don would visit Pot Hall as much as possible and the photo below was for Don’s 80th birthday and Margaret was very much in charge of proceedings, but a great family event hence the photo. Margaret told us one story that on one occasion when both Margaret and Don visited Bumpstead, Mum and Margaret went to church and afterwards went to the Fox for a drink where Margaret got tidily and were back late for Christmas dinner which Don was cooking, suffice to say they both got told off. Margaret will be missed not just by Don and her family, but by all the family. Margaret Rest in Peace. XXX

The minute I knew the Van Gogh in London exhibition in 2019 was on in London thoughts were with Auntie Margaret, a perfect companion for such a visit as we always shared a love of history and art. Thought I would sneakily arrive early to get a coffee at Paddington station but of course Auntie Margaret, always being organised, arrived early and ready to roll, looking fab as always. After a coffee hit, we both headed for the The Tate Gallery for a lunch and to explore the outstanding exhibition which I will always remember. The exhibition showed London as it was in 1873 and it was Van Gogh’s mission when he lived there to show the reality of every day life through art. We both learnt together and had a special time.Later Aunt M then invited me back for a good chat and hospitality with Uncle Don.  I am sorry I will not be able to attend next week and thoughts are with everybody at this time  So here below is a picture of Starry Nights, I took that day, a tribute for a very classy lady.

My first memory of Aunt Margaret was her wedding photo with Uncle Donald. They came to visit us while I was only about six or seven years old. My sister Debbie and I thought she must be a princess, as she wore a tiara. Upon meeting Margaret, she carried herself as a well spoken English woman, poshly dressed, hence proving that she must be a real princess. After Margaret and Don’s marriage they shared many travels around the world. They would always send postcards to our family from far off places and with unusual postage stamps. I looked forward to receiving and collecting them to place in an old time photograph book, which I still have to this day.  Of the numerous visits to England over the years, we have always tried to visited London to spend time with Aunt Margaret and Uncle Don. They have always made sure we had a wonderful experience. My first memorable visit in 1974, along with my sister, Debbie, was the experience of seeing our first London play. We were taken to Her Majesty’s Theatre to an evening play of The Good Companions , starring John Mills and Judi Dench (I only just discovered she was also starring in that production!). To this day I still love going to a live stage theatre. I know that my mentions are not just of Margaret or just of Donald, but both. They were inseparable during my first few visits and my memories will always be of them both.  On one such visit, Margaret made sure that my daughter Audrey’s first visit was geared to her interest in the Harry Potter books and films of the time in 2006. Margaret made arrangements, and gave of her time to take Audrey to visit Oxford so that she was able to see some of the filming sites for the movies. The Bodley staircase of Christ Church used to film the entrance of Harry, Ron and Hermione’s first meeting with Professor McGonagall. The Christ Church Dining Hall was the inspiration for the Hogwarts’ Great Hall. Although no filming took place there, it was wonderful for Audrey to see the what the Hogwarts’ hall was based upon. The Divinity School was used for filming the Hogwarts’ Infirmary and where students practiced their dance lessons for the Triwizard Tournament. To say the least, Margaret took her experience and organizational skills in tourism to provide much information and guidance during our sightseeing day out. Thanks to Margaret, not only did Audrey have a wonderful first visit experience, but a memory to always be able to look back upon.  Although there were moments that were tense due to many of us being as strong willed as Margaret, I will remember her sharing time with us to make good memories possible during our visits. There are so many more memories of Margaret than the few expressed above. Margaret will be fondly remembered for all of our moments together.  As someone who enjoyed this world and experienced what was offered, may you Rest In Peace Margaret. 

Dear Donald So sorry to hear of your sad news. We know Mum always said Margaret had a lovely smile and we remember her from the occasion of your 90th birthday celebration. Love from Susan, June, Paula and family.