Anne was born at Catterick Garrison, the first child and eldest daughter of Edward and June Reeve, on 27 December 1947. Her father was a senior NCO in the 24th Field Regiment, Royal Artillery, and as such, they travelled with the unit as he was posted. She was raised in Germany, Hong Kong, Suffolk and Cardiff, and it was in Hong Kong that she lost her mother in 1955.
Returning to Britain, she and her sister Lynn went to live with their aunt and uncle, Ron and Margaret Houghton, in the village of Blundeston, Suffolk, where she spent many happy years before returning to live with her father in Cardiff.
At the age of 16, she entered Savernake Hospital to begin her training as a nurse. She would continue at Savernake until 1976, when she left to have children. She returned to nursing in the early 1980s, working largely at Princess Margaret’s Hospital in Swindon and the Ridgeway Hospital in Wroughton, as well as nursing individuals in their homes. She would later leave nursing and worked for many years at Waitrose in Marlborough.
In 1967, she was at a skittles match between the Young Farmers and the Young Conservatives, where she met Robin Notton. They were married at St Peter’s Church in Marlborough on 19 April 1969, and would spend 55 years together, years in which they travelled widely in Europe, Africa, China, New Zealand and Canada, were Mayor and Mayoress of Marlborough, as well as bringing up two sons, Charles and David, and being devoted grandparents to Sophie, Daniel and Katie.
She was active in many different organisations, the Marlborough Brandt Group, the Devizes Constituency Womens’ Committee, the Royal Enfield Owners Club and she was for 6 years Secretary of the St George’s Preshute PCC. She loved to sing, and was a member of the St George’s choir, the Georgians, as well as the Marlborough Community Choir and Choral Society.
In January 2024, she was taken ill and rushed into hospital, where she was diagnosed with bladder cancer, which was deemed to have become inoperable. On 7 April 2024, she was taken into hospital, and transferred to the Prospect Hospice in Wroughton on 17 April. She passed peacefully on 23 April 2024 with Robin and David either side of her.
She leaves a husband, two sons and three grandchildren.
The funeral will take place at St George’s Preshute on Monday 13 May 2024 at 2pm.
Charles Notton
Avebury theft from High St store – do you recognise this man?
