A lasting tribute to a determined lady

“We’re really grateful to Deafblind UK; they were so supportive when my mother, Mary, went into a care home. Now, we keep her memory alive with a tribute page and the money we raise as a family will help others like Mum.”  – Mike, Mary’s son.

Recently, we spoke to supporter Mike Royce, who shared his mother’s story of living a full life with single and – later – dual sensory loss and why he found comfort in creating a lasting tribute page in her memory:

“My mother was a determined lady. Born in Fulham in 1932, she was a very bright girl and passed the entrance exam into a very good secondary school. But, during the war, at age 11, before starting at the school, Mum suffered from rheumatic fever and was hospitalised for several months.

“It was during the blitz and, incredibly, one night a bomb landed so close to the hospital that Mary’s bed was forced across the ward by the explosion. My mum managed to survive and recover from her illness, but it had robbed her of much of her hearing. She was completely deaf in one ear and partially deaf in the other.

“When Mary arrived at her new school, she couldn’t hear the teachers very well, but she excelled at maths because everything was written on the blackboard. She applied herself and went on to qualify as a chartered accountant in 1958; at a time when there were very few women in the profession. In fact, there were so few female chartered accountants that when my dad tried to register my birth in 1960, the registrar refused to issue my birth certificate until Mum confirmed in person that she really was a chartered accountant! In fairness to the registrar, I don’t know anyone else whose dad was a builder’s labourer and whose mum was a chartered accountant.

“My mum was registered blind just after my dad died in 2008. It’s the only time I can ever remember her confidence being knocked. But, she held onto her independence for as long as she could before moving to a care home closer to me in Milton Keynes. We’re really grateful to Deafblind UK who were so supportive during that time. When she passed away in 2025, we wanted to do something to acknowledge that support and create an online place where everyone who knew my mum could share memories of such a wonderful lady.

“That’s why we created a MuchLoved Tribute page. It allowed us to direct loved ones to donate in memory of Mum to the charity that helped her so much. And, continues to be a place of comfort we can return to when we’re thinking of her and share cherished memories.”

If you would like to set up a MuchLoved Tribute page for someone special: Click here

Make a donation to Deafblind UK in memory of your loved one.

Or, add a message for your loved one to the Deafblind UK dedication wall.

For more ideas, visit our In memory of a loved one page.

Watch the MuchLoved Tribute testimonial video below