Family tribute after death of Dalton-le-Dale Parish Council chairman Marian Oliver

Dalton-le-Dale Parish Council chairman Marian Oliver died last month, just days after being diagnosed with an aggressive brain tumour.

The 74-years-old was married to husband Brian and had two children, Adrian and Rachael.

Rachael said Marion had started to notice symptoms of the tumour just weeks before her death.

She said: “On Monday, October 21, she started to notice symptoms such as confusion, memory loss and general absent mindedness, not being able to recall common names for things, or saying one word in replacement for another.

“As a dedicated public servant, she still chaired the Parish Council meeting that evening.

“On Thursday, October 24, it was discovered she had a large aggressive brain tumour and she passed away peacefully on Saturday, November 16.”

Marion was a pillar of the community in Dalton-le-Dale and the wider area and was the current Chairman of Dalton-le-Dale Parish Council, Vice Chair for Dalton-le-Dale Community Association and Treasurer for the Parochial Church Council of St Andrew's Church Dalton-le-Dale.

In the wider community she was a member of Destination Seaham and the Area Action Partnership for Easington and District.

She spent many years as a JP at Sunderland Magistrates Court until her retirement in 2015. She still enjoyed meeting with other retired JP's at the organised Magistrates lunches.

Born in Seaham in 1945, Marian moved to Dalton-le-Dale in 1976. She began her working life at Green's Chemist on Chester Road in Sunderland and trained as a pharmacist, working for Sunderland hospitals for most of her life Sunderland Royal Infirmary as a Pharmacy Technician until its closure on 1996.

She then moved to Sunderland General Hospital now known as Sunderland Royal Hospital. She was ambitious in her career, gaining her degree at the University of Derby as well as her management qualifications whilst working full time, reaching the position of Pharmacy Store Manager at Sunderland Royal before she retired.

Rachael said: “She had many hobbies and interests. She loved her garden and grew all manner of fruit and vegetables which she used as ingredients in her homemade jams, chutneys, liqueurs, cakes and desserts.

“Being Vice Chair of Dalton-le-Dale Community Association, she often engaged in activities at the Parish Hall enjoying participating as a member of the weekly Art Class. Very creative, she was recently involved in local photography and Creative Writing classes too.”

A funeral service will be held on December 4 at 12.45 at St Andrew's Church Dalton-le-Dale then onto Durham Crematorium at 2pm. In lieu of flowers donations will be divided between St Andrew's Church and Dalton-le-Dale Community Association.