A zest for life, a natural flair for design and flower arranging and a love for her grandchildren are what Elizabeth Audrey Hood will be remembered for, says her daughter, Robyn Hood.
Elizabeth died on Monday May 29 in Fish Hoek at the age of 86. She was born on June 5, 1936, to George and Mabel Champion.
Elizabeth spent most of her childhood in Three Anchor Bay and stayed in Beaufort West for a short period. Her father was a train driver and her mother was a hairdresser.
Elizabeth attended Wynberg Girls’ High School and was, according to Robyn, a “very good” tennis player who played for her school as well as several tennis clubs.
She worked at several women’s magazines and newspapers in Kimberley and in Pietermaritzburg and worked as a secretary to the promotions manager of the Cape Argus where she met her husband, Tom Hood, who was the business and financial editor at the time.
Robyn says the Two Oceans Marathon and The Argus Cycle Tour, now the Cape Town Cycle Tour, were among the first promotions her mother worked on.
According to Robyn, her mother had a natural flair for design and flower arranging. She participated in the Chelsea Flower Show twice and also competed internationally in Italy.
Robyn says that when her mother got married, on April 19, 1975, the Adderley Street flower sellers attended the wedding and scattered flowers as the newly-weds exited the Cape Town Metropolitan Church, which was at the back of the old Newspaper House building in Cape Town.
Their reception was at Kirstenbosch Botanical Garden.
Elizabeth was an active member of the Women’s Agricultural Association, representing the Fish Hoek branch for many years, and belonged to the False Bay and South Peninsula Handcrafts clubs where she was an honorary member.
At one stage, she belonged to the False Bay White Heather Dance Club and came up with themed décor and table arrangements for each dance.
Members would receive handmade crepe flowers in their buttonholes or small treats.
She used to laugh that even though she had a love for flowers, she didn’t have much of a garden, and had to rely on friends from the Fish Hoek Garden Club for greenery.
She also loved to make her own birthday cards for everyone she knew and always had something to share with strangers whom she met during her day.
“The greatest love that she shared was her love for her grandchildren Aliveya, Rayhaan, and Taslim, often sharing their news as well as my own,” says Robyn. “She paid for my Montessori training at Melf Montessori years ago, sitting alongside me while I was studying and preparing for exams. She made so many dreams come true and her motto in life was, ‘You don’t know if you don’t try’.“
“Flowers and Friendship”, a celebration of her life will be held at the Fish Hoek civic centre on Saturday June 17, at 10am.
The family requests that no formal flower arrangements be given. Donations can be made to the grandchildren to support their educational needs.
