A RESPECTED former councillor has died.
Almondbury born Huddersfield Borough councillor Marjorie Russell died at home aged 83 on April 4.
Mrs Russell was brought up by her grandma after her father left home when she was six.
She became a typist at David Brown’s at 14 where she met her husband Marcus Samuel.
They married in 1947 and she followed him to Singapore in 1951 where he was stationed as a young officer with the Royal Navy.
After an exciting two-and-a-half years of classic colonial living she returned to Huddersfield, settling in Dalton.
Training as a hairdresser she formed the highly successful Westgate Hair Fashions in the early ’60s.
Her sense of fair play and support for the underdog led her to politics and she won the South Central ward from Labour in 1971.
Although a Conservative councillor and parish councillor she always reminded everyone that it was Conservative with a small c.
A fiery red-head, she knew how to run the country better than anyone and her comments and letters to MPs at the time are said to have formulated education policy with a letter to Sir Kenneth Baker altering the rate of income tax at the time.
Her husband died prematurely in 1972 but she continued to put in many unpaid hours serving the public and fundraising for the local Conservative Party and was a frequent Examiner letter writer,
She took great pride in her appearance and enjoyed clothes shopping, especially shoes.
Even in the hospice she insisted on being made up and smartly dressed to receive the many visitors who kindly popped in.
A resident of Farnley Tyas, she was a great supporter of the church and all Farnley amenities, particularly the Golden Cock.
She truly believed in the value of villages and not letting them become postcards for tourists.
She leaves two sons Simon and Matthew and six grandchildren.
