Former Woking News & Mail receptionist and long-time resident of the town, Betty Stoakley, has died peacefully, aged 92.

Betty worked in the newspaper’s Chertsey Road offices in Woking in the early 1980s and was a familiar and friendly face to many regular customers who called in to place advertisements and buy the paper.

Her daughter, Mary Stuart-Miller, said: “In those days, face-to-face contact was important. Adverts were handwritten and brought into the office. The busy newsroom was upstairs, and the accounts department was at the rear of the building. Betty had regular interaction with everyone from the journalists to the advertisers.

“Betty loved her work, meeting and chatting with customers, and playing her part in a large team at a time when the Woking News & Mail was a lifeline of information for locals before the advent of online news.”

Originally a Londoner, Betty moved with her husband to Horsell in 1963 and soon became an active member of the local community.

She brought up a family of four children, who all attended local schools, including Horsell Primary School, where Betty was a member of the PTA and an enthusiastic fundraiser. She was also a member of the Women’s Institute and other local organisations.

Betty moved to George Road, Guildford, in 1985, where she lived happily for thirty-seven years. She played a key role in the community and became greatly loved by neighbours and friends, until her move to a care home in Dorset three years ago following a diagnosis of Parkinson’s and dementia.

A memorial service for Betty’s life will be held at 11.15am on Tuesday, May 13, at Guildford Crematorium. In memory of her late daughter Judy, Betty requested donations to Cancer Research in lieu of flowers: https://www.funeraldirector.co.uk/betty-stoakley