A former Wolverhampton postmistress has died at the age of 98. May Nock was one of three generations of her family to hold similar positions in the city.

For years, Mrs Nock and her husband Stan ran the post office on Wolverhampton’s Snow Hill. It was an old-fashioned store, with shelves packed full of stationery and drawers of records long before computers were invented.

For Mrs Nock, the job was a natural progression as it had become something of a tradition in her family.

Her mother, May Cooper, ran the former New Cross post office in Wednesfield from 1928. Mrs Nock, who was born in Castlecroft Road, Bradmore, went to help her two years later.

She married in 1936 and set up home with Stan in Mandale Road, Fallings Park where she lived for the following 60 years.

Mrs Nock then worked as relief postmistress at post offices throughout the city before taking over at Snow Hill in 1954. She ran it with her husband until retirement in 1976 when their daughter Hazel Percival took over and remained in charge until its closure in 1990.

Mrs Percival, who now lives in Penkridge, explained: “My mother loved post offices. They were in her blood and she came down to help me three or four times a week until she was 80.

“She enjoyed meeting the customers as well as the clerical side of the job. It was obviously in our family’s blood.”

Mrs Nock leaves two children, Hazel and Peter, seven grandchildren and four great grandchildren. Her husband died in 1982 and she moved to Penn House residential home in Penn Road, Penn five years ago.

She died peacefully there on January 10 and her funeral takes place on Wednesday January 28 at Bushbury West Chapel at 2pm followed by burial at Bushbury Cemetery.

The former post office is situated in the area affected by businesses moving out to make room for the £300m Summer Row project, which has currently stalled.