Heartfelt tributes paid to inspirational Paulsgrove woman at funeral service
More than 100 family and friends packed out St Mary’s Church, in Fratton, to celebrate the life of Stella Browne.
The 79-year-old, who died on August 15 following a short illness, spent decades helping charities and organisations and was instrumental in the planning of major local events, including the Paulsgrove carnival.
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Hide AdAs reported in The News, the hard-working mother-of-seven lived on the Paulsgrove estate for most of her life and was described as a ‘mother like no other’ by her son, Danny Browne.
People got the chance to pay tribute to Stella at her funeral service.
Former Paulsgrove councillor Jim Patey described her as a ‘special woman’ who would do anything for anyone.
Mr Patey said: ‘I knew Stella from the 1960s onwards through her charity work.
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Hide Ad‘She was a lovely person; nothing was too much trouble, she always wanted to help the community.
‘She loved fundraising, for any charity, and any event that cropped up and was on the schedule. She always wanted to be involved. She was active for a period of time in the local residents’ association.
‘She was involved in a number of things.’
Mr Patey added: ‘She was a really bubbly person.
‘My opening remarks at the service were that I will never forget the times I would see her in the Paulsgrove area, the way she would greet me with the brightest of smiles.
‘She was a very special person; not just to me and my family but to the community of Paulsgrove and Wymering.’
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Hide AdStella – described as ‘Mrs Paulsgrove’ by loved ones – also enjoyed getting stuck into challenges, including a crawl on her hands and knees from Paulsgrove to Southsea in a bid to raise money for good causes.
Stella was also a great-great-grandmother.
Her family have thanked St Mary’s Church for an ‘amazing’ service.