A PILLAR of the IW community who was a regular fundraiser for many good causes on the Island, Linda Pay, has died after a short battle with cancer, aged 68.
Mrs Pay was born in Quetta in Pakistan in 1948, where her father was commandant of the army staff college.
Subsequently, the family moved to the then Malaya during the ‘emergency’ period before finally moving to Jamaica.
Mrs Pay attended the Monmouth School for Girls boarding school in the UK before leaving in 1966 when she joined the Barnardos charity as a nursery nurse in 1966.
She married husband, Colin, in 1968 and in 1979, the couple moved to the IW when he was posted to the Island’s Albany Prison where he served as a prison officer.
After studying for a degree at Oxford Brooks University, Mrs Pay graduated in 1994 and became an occupational therapist at St Mary’s Hospital.
She stayed at the hospital for more than 17 years where she ended up as the head of occupational therapy in paediatric and adult rehabilitation until her retirement in 2011.
Among the many organisations she worked for were Beaulieu House Respite Centre, where she was a committee member, IW Scope, where she was a trustee, the IW Green Gym, where she was a regular environmental volunteer, and Monkey Haven near Newport, where she was a volunteer and fundraiser.
She also took part in Walk the Wight and Race for Life.
When she was not volunteering, she enjoyed quilting with her friends and also loved to travel, enjoying holidays with her husband.
She had a woodland burial last Thursday at Newchurch followed by a celebration of her life, which was held at Monkey Haven.
She leaves her husband, sons, Chris and David, sister, Maura, and six grandchildren.