The funeral of Edna Brown took place at St Paul’s Church on Lincoln Road on Thursday, with a group of roughly 30 family, friends and prominent figures in the city, including Peterborough City Council Leader John Holdich and his wife Barbara, gathering in a socially-distanced manner.
The couple were one of many that met through taking dance lessons from Edna and her husband Dereck at Brown’s Dancentre on Lincoln Road.
The couple taught generations of people, from the 1950s up until 2012, in Peterborough to dance at their studio and are credited with creating countless marriages in the city.
Edna passed away peacefully at her home in Ledbury Road last month,
The church where the service took place is particularly special to the Brown family considering it was the venue for Edna and two of her sister’s weddings, it is also where her father was laid to rest.
Mourners were each given a bottle of red wine as they left the church, on Edna’s request as she always used to enjoy a glass before bed.
Among those that attended her funeral was former long serving councillor for Peterborough’s North Ward Charles Swift, Edna’s brother-in-law.
He said: “The service was marvelously organised and conducted by the vicar, humorous too. It was a wonderful send off.
“I remember Dereck’s funeral where we had around 500 people attend and it could easily have been the same for Edna. The service was live-streamed for all of those people that could not be there and we’ve received wonderful messages for so many people, including several from over in America.
“She was such a highly-respected woman and that shows by all of the prominent people that were there but Edna built her own legacy far greater than perhaps anyone in Peterborough ever has before. She put her arms around hundreds of thousands of people in the city and must have been to more weddings and christenings than anyone ever has been.
“She received so much love and I had to make special mention of her neighbours. She had fantastic neighbours, including those in the shops opposite her such as the fish and chip shop, the chemist and post office. They would always keep and eye on her and make sure she was ok.
“The same goes for her nephews and nieces, it was tough for her after Dereck died but they always made sure that she had a phone call and a visit every day.
“As for me, I was just really blessed to have her as a sister-in-law.”
RELATED:
