Tributes have been paid to a ‘loving and kind’ former pub landlady who ‘lived for her family’.
Great-grandmother Rita MacFarlane died from heart failure at her home in Oswaldtwistle, aged 78.
Rita and her late husband Stuart took over the Duckworth Hall Inn, Oswaldtwistle, in the 1980s, where they stayed for 15 years before their retirement.
They were well known in the town for their generosity and devotion to charity, using the pub to host fundraising events for East Lancashire Hospice and other good causes.
The couple also hosted a family fun day at the pub featuring food and a bouncy castle to raise money for those affected by the Chernobyl disaster in 1986.
Rita’s daughter, Julie, said: “Mum was loving and kind. She loved shopping, holidays, word searches and baking and feeding people. She lived for her family.
“Mum and dad married in the snow and she waited for the snow.”
Rita MacFarlane and her husband Stuart pictured on one of their holidays
(Image: MacFarlane family)
Customers would travel far and wide for the couple’s cheese and onion and meat pies at the pub on Haslingden Road, Julie said.
Rita was born in Blackburn to parents Betty and Jimmy and was a sister to Jimmy and also the late Betty. She worked at Blackburn’s Royal Ordnance Factory and later at electrical manufacturer Mullard’s.
Rita was planning to go to America to become a nanny, but this soon changed when Stuart proposed.
They met at Mecca dance hall in Blackburn and their signature dance was a jive. The duo competed in dance competitions, winning many trophies throughout the years.
Rita and Stuart had a magical wedding in the snow at St Thomas’ Church, Blackburn, in 1966, which ended with a visit to A&E after Stuart hurt his back while attempting to pick Rita up.
The pair were also landlady and landlord of Bird I’th Hand in Hindley, Wigan, which they ran for four years.
When the couple returned to Blackburn Stuart got a job in car sales while Rita went back to Mullard’s.
Stuart was also a groundsman at Church and Oswaldtwistle Cricket Club where he was dedicated to helping the club both as a member and volunteer.
Rita and Stuart enjoyed spending time in Greece with their pals Bob and Anna and had adventures in Portugal with their friends Ephrem and Izzy.
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