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Cicely Worrall

I can still hear my mother’s laughter ringing in my head as I beat her in backgammon. She was truly a good sport, although quite competitive and she was able to laugh when being trounced. Her laughter was infectious, brightening up any mood and my brother and I liked to tease her to hear that sonorous laugh. This is probably the one quality that I will remember the most of her energetic 94 years of life. Sadly, Cicely Madeline Worrall, “Gan-Gan,” died on June 20, 2024, just like she lived, energetically, while doing what she loved the most: swimming in the ocean.

The community at Chester Village West, will remember seeing this small energetic woman walk by their windows on her two daily walks striding along with a pace of a 20-year-old. She swam, lifted weights and until recently played a mean game of tennis. Gan-Gan spent every summer at Mile Creek Beach Club swimming her daily two miles, her red swim cap bobbing along with each stroke. She was an avid gardener, often seen swinging her heavy pick axe.

She was busy in the community as well, delivering Meals on Wheels. Gan-Gan didn’t just drop off the meal; she knocked on the door and truly got to know each person. Feeding each person’s body and soul with her visits. She was part of the garden club, volunteered at the Child and Family Agency, worked at the St. John’s soup kitchen, and taught Sunday school. She taught the kids by putting on illustrious bible plays and bribing her students with M&M’s for correct answers. Predictably, she was a popular teacher.

Life was not always easy for Gan-Gan. She was British and grew up during World War II. She was initially evacuated to the countryside at the age of nine, living apart from her family for a short stint. In the summer of 1940, she was in imminent danger as bombs rained down on her hometown of Croydon, and once again relocated to the countryside with her parents. With frequent relocations, schooling was lacking, but she remembers learning how to milk a cow, loving the farm dog, and starting a chicken hospital with her brother. As a result of these experiences, she was incredibly thrifty and knew her history well. She even corrected a historian at a recent talk, and you did not want to argue with her about politics! Sadly, her talents were wasted as, in those times, women did not have the same opportunities as men. She was given no other option but secretarial school by her father even though her school recommended her for a medical social work career (lady almoner). One positive that came out of her short career was meeting my father while working in London.

Gan-Gan married my father, a physician, and they moved to the U.S. in 1965. She had two children and they were the light of her life. She lived in New York, New Jersey, Maryland, Indiana, and Connecticut due to relocations for my father’s job, gathering friends as she went. She kept her British accent and her love of the royal family. She became a U.S. citizen along the way and loved New England the most. Gan-Gan was predeceased by her husband, Paul Michael Worrall, MD; and her brother Kenneth Jackson. She is survived by her son, Martin Worrall, his spouse Sophie and their three children; and her daughter Suzanne Elkind, her spouse Ken, and their two children.

The memorial service will take place at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 4, at St. John’s Church in Essex, followed by a British tea. In lieu of flowers, a contribution can be made to Chester Village West Foundation or CVWF and mailed to 317 West Main St., Apt. 5204, Chester, CT 06412. This donation will help fund scholarships for the high school waitstaff at CVW, whom she adored! If writing a check is not an option, donations can also be made to Meals on Wheels, https://yourestuary.org/nutrition. Email swelkind07@gmail.com should you want to join remotely. To share a memory or her or send a condolence to her family, please visit www.rwwfh.com. Arrangements are in the care of the Robinson, Wright & Weymer Funeral Home in Centerbrook.

She lived a good life and her laughter will live on in our hearts forever.