Chairman's wife dies after first civic duty
The wife of the new chairman of a Staffordshire council has died soon after the couple completed their first engagement as chairman and consort.
Councillor John Beddows of Cannock Chase Council and wife Maureen were newly invested in their roles and attended a function in Penkridge the day before she died from sudden heart failure.
Mrs Beddows, a 70-year-old mother of four and grandmother of eight, died on June 8.
Councillor Beddows, aged 74, said her death had come as a shock to everyone.
He said: "I am absolutely bereft – my wife was a very, very special person. We loved each other. We were partners in life, partners in the business and partners in everything."
The couple had been together for 31 years and next month should have been their silver wedding anniversary.
Over the years they built up their opticians business, Portland Eyecare Ltd, from scratch. Now the business employs around 50 people and there are eight branches in the Midlands including Heath Hayes, Cannock, Wolverhampton and Birmingham.
The 9th branch is due to open in Rugeley next month.
Councillor Beddows added: "We worked together as a team. She was a wonderful organiser and was absolutely fantastic in the day-to-day running of the business while I could carry on making spectacles."
He added he would not have been able to do his work at Cannock Chase Council and Norton Canes Parish Council without her support.
Their home in Norton Green Lane is full of cards of condolence, he added. The funeral will take place on Thursday at 2pm and Mrs Beddows will be interred at St James' Church in Norton Canes.
