A “loving and honest” founding member of a Mill Hill church has passed away aged 93.

Joan Blake, formerly Franklin, died surrounded by her family on Wednesday following a short illness.

The mother-of-three was a leading figure in the start up of the Mill Hill East Free Church, where she served as a volunteer for several years from the 1950s.

Former dinner lady Mrs Blake, whose mother played a part in the Suffragette movement, moved to Partingdale Lane, in Mill Hill, from Neasden with her first husband Albert Franklin in the Fifties.

The couple had three sons, Keith, now 64, Stuart, 62, and Graeme, 52, but their marriage ended in tragedy when Albert died of cancer aged just 59.

After seeking solace in the church community, Joan later found happiness again when she met her second husband, lay preacher Bryn Blake, in the Nineties.

As well as serving lunch to students at St Vincent’s Catholic Primary School in Mill Hill for several years, Joan was an active member of the church.

Her eldest son Keith said: “Her religion was always important to her, particularly in her later years. She saw the free church develop from a tin hut in Sanders Lane to a fine new building in Salcombe Gardens in 1961.

“She was a loving, honest, straightforward woman who was part of a generation that would stick with things, no matter what.”

A passionate Labour supporter, Joan would read two books a week and, according to son Keith, had “an uncanny knack of absorbing information”.

Her dedication to her family led her to write weekly letters to her cousin in Canada for 53 years.

Soon after her marriage to Bryn 18 years ago, the couple moved to Norwich, where Joan spent the rest of her life.

She is survived by her husband, her three sons, nine grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.

Keith added: “We will all miss her but at the same time we’re very glad she didn’t have to suffer at any point. It was brilliant that she found someone else to share her life with after my father died and he was able to care for her in her later years.

“She was a positive influence on all of us and had great love and respect for everyone who knew her, none of us could wish more for ourselves.”