A FORMER Darwen mayoress has died aged 69 after a bout of pneumonia.

Mary Aspden became mayoress at 26 when she was put forward for the 1962-1963 mayoral year by her mother, Martha, who became the town's fourth woman mayor.

Martha became a widow in 1943 when Mary's father, John William Aspden, was killed by falling masonry.

When Mary received the chains of office, she worked as a grocer's assistant in the Co-op, in Sudell Road, Darwen. She also worked at Springbank Co-op in Darwen and later as a receptionist and cashier at Darwen Leisure Centre and Audley Leisure Centre, Blackburn.

Mary, who lived in Bowling Green Close, died on Saturday after 22 weeks in Queen's Park Hospital, Blackburn.

Her elder sister, Muriel, today paid tribute to her strength during two illnesses.

She said: "She was admitted with pneumonia and never recovered but we think she may have had cancer, too.

"She had to have her breast removed more than ten years ago when she was diagnosed with breast cancer but was given the all-clear from that. She did really well to come back but I suppose you never know when it can come back again.

"Mary was quiet, never one to be on the front row. Even as mayoress she was shy about it. She was the baby of the family, with five older brothers and sisters."

Her funeral service is on Friday at Blackburn Road Methodist Church, Darwen at 2pm and will be attended by the Mayor and Mayoress of Blackburn and Darwen, Coun David Foster and Coun Karimeh Foster.

The service will be followed by cremation in Accrington Crematorium, where one of Mary's favourite songs, Elvis Presley's 'Always On My Mind', will be played.

Muriel said: "She loved Elvis Presley and as far as we are concerned she was always on our mind, and always will be."