Tributes to amazing Mollie Gay of Pinchbeck who inspired youngsters as a primary school teacher and girls' bridge leader
Tributes have been paid to a much-loved teacher and girls brigade leader who helped to inspire hundreds of children in our area.
Mollie Gay, of Pinchbeck, died aged 94 earlier this month, but leaves a proud legacy as a long-standing primary school teacher, girls brigade leader and active member of the Baptist church. It’s all the more remarkable when you consider she weighed just 2lbs when she was born in February 1928.
Niece Sharon Cooper said: “They were not expecting her to live but she put on another 94 years after that!”
She was born in Warwickshire to parents Gladys and Frederick and moved to Devon and Derbyshire before coming to Pinchbeck in 1950, where her father took up the post of minister of the Baptist Church.
Mollie - one of three sisters with Eileen (Sharon’s mum) and Christine - trained to be a teacher in Coventry before returning here to take up a post at St Bartholomew’s Primary School in West Pinchbeck.
Mollie, who lived near the water tower before moving to Forge Crescent, stayed at the school until retirement.
Sharon added: “She had an old racing bike that she would bike to work on along Glenside in every weather.”
Mollie never married but dedicated her life to helping young people, starting up the ‘Girls’ Life Brigade’ which became the Girls’ Brigade.
She was captain for more than 40 years - and was district commandant for 22 years.
Sharon added: “Of all the young people in this area she must have influenced hundreds of them - the girls in the church and the young people at West Pinchbeck school, she was so busy, that was her life.
“Everybody absolutely loved her. She was so fantastic - we had such happy memories of growing up with her, she was a second mum to us.”
Mollie struggled with the phone due to hearing issues but was a prolific writer - not least with diaries of girls brigade camps.
Sharon added: “She never embraced modern technology, she said ‘I can’t be bothered’. She would write letters to everybody.
“We would get a letter once a week and she would write to the great nieces - they would all keep in touch and it was always by letter.”
Mollie’s passions were photography, travel gardening and growing fruit and veg and according to Sharon: “Her rice pudding was legendary.”
Mollie was also a prolific knitter and filled hundreds of boxes of donations to those less well off.
Sharon added: “She was greatly loved by so many people - she had a lovely sense of humour.
“She didn’t suffer fools gladly - being a teacher she was quite strict, she could tell us all off.
“It was really sad. She’s tough as old boots and we thought she would live forever.”
Mollie’s funeral will be held at Pinchbeck Baptist Church - with a marquee likely to be needed to accommodate all who wish to attend - and she will be buried at the cemetery in the village.
The family are requesting that instead of flowers, anyone wishing to pay their respects should send donations to Pinchbeck Baptist Church.