My mother-in-law, Joan Rowley, who has died aged 98, was a first world war baby, born at home in Levenshulme, Manchester, as the Battle of the Marne was drawing to a close.
Her father, Thomas Wallis, had a reserved occupation as an engineer surveyor. Joan's mother, Mabel (nee Roberts), used to visit her family in Ulster every year and the trip in 1918 was intended to be an escape from the Spanish flu then raging throughout England. However, the Roberts family were infected and both Mabel and her sister died on the same day. Joan was brought back to Manchester, where she was cared for by housekeepers until her father remarried.
She proved to be a gifted scholar and attended Manchester Central grammar school for girls. Joan was capable of reaching university but was told that her parents could not afford it. Instead she became a secretary to the managing director of Alexander Stanley, a cotton manufacturers.
Joan loved to travel. On a holiday in Switzerland, she met Bill Rowley and they became engaged in 1939. The second world war now overshadowed Joan's life and she and Bill drifted apart. She joined the ATS in 1942 and by 1944 was a second subaltern. One posting took her to Shropshire, where she met her first husband. Soon after divorcing in 1971, Joan met up with Bill again and they married in 1972. He died the following year and Joan returned to work, at Markham & Co engineers, until her retirement in 1980.
For the next 20 years, Joan campaigned tirelessly on behalf of older people. She was a founder member of Chesterfield Care Group, and served on its board for 20 years; was an active member of North Derbyshire Older Peoples Advisory Group; was a co-founder of Chesterfield 50+ Inspired Group; was chair of Links – the Chesterfield and North East Derbyshire Council for Voluntary Service and Action for three years; and was frequently consulted by Derbyshire county council on matters regarding older people. All this voluntary activity led to Joan being highly commended in the Help the Aged living legend awards in 2006. She was proud to be presented to the Queen at Windsor Castle.
In 2007 Joan was diagnosed with cancer of the lung and bowel and was not expected to last a year. She never lost her keen interest in the world around her and took great delight in completing the Guardian quick crossword before her eldest daughter, Deidre.
Joan is survived by her daughters, Deidre, Lesley and Denise, from her first marriage; six grandchildren, Corrina, Samantha, Luan, Nathan, Joanne and Elizabeth; and five great grandchildren, Ellen, Olivia, Thomas, Jasmine and Ben.