Nancy Weston

Nancy Edith Weston (nee. Justice previously Groom) (b. 11th September 1927 - d. 22nd October 2016) was a resident of North Grove from 1927 - 2001.

Nancy was the wife of David Weston, the mother of William and Harold Weston and is the grandmother of Finn, Oscar and George Weston and Jenny Watson.

Childhood
Nancy was born in her mother's front room in 1927. She was the youngest of four children. Her parents doted on Nancy who grew up in a loving family.

Nancy's mother was from an influential family within North Grove but she married down in order to marry Nancy's father. This led to her mother being disinherited from the family. She did keep her relationship with her brother Earl Jones though.

In 1931, her eldest sibling Janet died when she was accidentally shot as she was running through a field. The family who relied on Janet to help bring in some money, left the household in peril. Her father was a miner and her mother did not work and with five mouths to feed during the Great Depression, life just became harder.

Nancy's other sister, Debra who was only a year older than Nancy was sent to live with the Aunt in Yorkshire and so it was only her brother and her.

Marriage to Jim Groom
In 1944, when Debra was eighteen she came to live back in North Grove but only to tell her family that she was to marry and live on her Aunt's farm. Nancy who was hoping her sister would live back in their parents house was upset and the prospect of marriage was something Nancy began to think about more.

Her parents were also thinking about marriage for their youngest child and when they met Jim Groom they arranged the marriage between Jim and Nancy.

However, Nancy did not like Jim that much but despite her worries they were married in 1947 when she was twenty years old.

Nancy felt on edge at his profession as a fireman and did not like feeling like she would be told he was dead and she would not see him again. She also felt a little cold by his insistence that Nancy not work.

She ignored him and started training as a teacher and started teaching English in high schools.

In 1950, the marriage still had not produced any children and with Debra pregnant with her third child again the pressure was on her. Despite this, she told her parents that she did not like Jim and that she was thinking of divorcing him. The thought brought shame to her parents but she did not see a way forward.

Also that year, she met David Weston who was a builder adding an extension on the school and the two soon began an affair.

Marriage to David Weston & Motherhood
In 1951, Nancy decided it was time to end her loveless marriage and Jim was happy to divorce her. Although the marriage ended, it wasn't bitterly and the two managed to live in the same town together until his death in 2002.

Also that year, David and Nancy married for love and Nancy could not be happier. She taught and he built and they lived in a small house on Harold Street.

In 1954, the couples first child William was born. He looked the spitting image of David and then in 1958, their second child Harold was born.

In 1962, Nancy's mother who she had become estranged from after her marriage to David died and she attended the funeral but her sister Debra and brother Edgar gave her the cold shoulder and refused to acknowledge her.

Nancy decided to take the high ground and put all of her energy into teaching and in 1970 she became deputy head teacher at North Grove High School.

Death of William, David, Madison and Harold
In 1990, her eldest son William was killed in a car accident after drink and driving. Seeing her eldest son die crippled Nancy and David as he was only 46 years old. He had one son, Finn who they helped look after.

The death of her son was the cause for her second son's marriage to Denise Burrows collapse. He began drinking and after hitting Nancy's only granddaughter, Jenny and Harold first lived in Leeds before moving back in with Nancy and David.

Tragedy struck again when Nancy's great-granddaughter was killed in a car crash. Grandson Finn was devastated and Nancy felt hopeless.

Death seemed to follow her everywhere. In 1997, David died of Prostate Cancer, in 1999, Harold died of alcohol poisoning and in 2000, brother Edgar died in his sleep.

Aged 74, Nancy moved away from North Grove and all the unhappy memories it brought and moved into her niece's house. She regularly keeps in touch with her grandchildren and great-grandchildren but she has not been to North Grove since 2001

Death
On the 22nd October, Nancy passed away in her sleep at the age of 89.

Family
Mother: Mildred Justice

Father: Clarence Justice

Sisters: Debra and Janet

Brother: Edgar

Husband: David Weston

Children: William Weston and Harold Weston

Grandchildren: Finn Weston, Jenny Watson, Oscar Weston and George Weston

Great-Grandchildren: Madison Weston, Nadine Watson, Ashton Watson, Gabriel Watson and Freddie Weston

Nieces: Carole, Gloria, Gail, Henrietta and Lorna

Nephews: Patrick, Irving, Edwin, Malcolm, Gilbert and Desmond Fuller

Uncles: Jack Guinness and Earl Jones

Aunts: Rosemary Guinness and Priscilla Jones

Cousin: Walter Jones

Ex-Husband: Jim Groom (1947 - 1950; divorce)