Monday, 2 December 2013

Rev. W. Awdry daughter Hilary Fortnam passes away

The Rev. W. Awdry's daughter Hilary Fortnam has died at the age of 69.

One of the surviving children of The Railway Series author's family, Fortnam passed away at her home in Highworth, UK on Monday November 25th 2013 after battling cancer for a decade.

Fortnam became a driving force in keeping her father's legacy alive. She continued to support and promote her father's works, attending events associated with the books and the Thomas brand.
In 2011, Fortnam criticised the TV series over the removal of the term christmas, forcing Hit Entertainment to make edits through DVDs and recent televised episodes.

Her husband of 47 years, Alf, praised her for her care and determination; She was losing strength and energy. She was in pain. She died at home and all her children, her sister and brother were able to see her the weekend before.

She was a lovely mother and cared very much for her three children. She was very fortunate to have had two more grandchildren in the last two years. We have six now.

That was a source of great pride to her. She loved me for who I was. She was creative and inspiring in her own right.

In the mid 80s, Fortnam developed a fixation in Christian faiths and worked as a lay minister in her town's St. Michael and All Angels Church, where her funeral was held on December 2nd.

She is survived by her children Rachel, Simon and Sara, her husband Alf, her sister Veronica Chambers and her brother Christopher Awdry.

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