Son pays tribute to 'one in a million' Copnor mum who worked at Tesco for 25 years and fundraised for Rowans Hospice

Wendy Benham died on April 21 at the age of 75, leaving behind a doting family who will miss her dearly. She spent her lifetime looking after her family and supporting the community by raising money for local charities including Rowans Hospice and Naomi House – and she was loved by many.

When her children, Steve and Danny, went to school, she decided to work at Tesco in Copnor where she stayed for 25 years and she thrived on meeting new people and having a chat.

Her son, Steve, said: ‘She was a lovely lady, she did a lot of charity work and she was known in the Copnor community where she lived.

‘She was fantastic. You couldn’t ask for a better mum she was one in a million. She was a great mum.

‘She had a great sense of humour and an infectious laugh. Once you heard her laughing, you couldn’t not laugh yourself. To be honest, you wouldn’t always know what the joke was but you would be laughing along.’

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Wendy would knit and donate what she had created to charities and Steve said that she would have a collection box in her home to raise money for different charities close to her heart.

She also received a certificate of recognition for donating blood as much as she could during her lifetime, and she was known for always helping others in need.

Wendy was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer early last year and although she was given the all-clear the cancer returned at the end of the last year. But she did not let it dampen her spirits and she ensured that she spent precious time with her loved ones.

She will be missed by her two sons, her grandchildren, Ellie and Jack and her beloved husband, Steve, to whom she was married to for 51 years. Her funeral will be held on Friday, June 2 at Portchester Crematorium at 1pm and family welcome friends to attend.