The family of the Scouse nan and head of the “biggest family in Merseyside” have paid their respects as she died surrounded by her surviving children.
Eleanor ‘Nellie’ Dougherty, who turned 91 last year, often joked with her family that she had the biggest family tree in in Merseyside, passed away on February 12, with her eight surviving children by her side.
Turns out the great-grandmother has more than 150 family members including a whopping 93 great-grandchildren, Liverpool Echo reports.
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Family members described her as “the most loving and caring person you could ever meet” and said the community had been devastated by her death.
(Image: Colin Lane/Liverpool Echo)
Grand-daughter Julie said all of Nellie’s family got a chance to be by their nan’s bed and say their goodbyes.
Nellie’s loved ones paid tribute to the family matriarch calling her the “most kind-hearted and caring person” with a “great sense of humour”. They added: “She has always put other people’s interests before her own.”
Julie told the Liverpool Echo: “My nan was known by everyone and her funeral will be a celebration of an incredible life. Lots of her grandchildren want to pay their respects so there will be 24 coffin bearers. It’ll certainly be a full church.”
(Image: Dougherty family picture)
Julie said her nan was always there for everyone – and the thing the family will miss most about the matriarch was how she said goodbye. Nellie always finished her conversations with her family by telling them “I love you to the moon and back”.
Nellie’s grand-daughter said her nan’s generosity was one of the things she remembered most. Her nan would spend more of her spare time shopping for her countless family members.
Julie said: “We always told her she didn’t have to but she said she could never not get presents. She said when she was younger and having children she never had much money so she wanted to share it around when she did.”
(Image: Liverpool Echo)
Julie added Nellie’s street had all paid their respects and shared memories of the 91-year-old, who was the oldest member of her Kirkby street after moving there in the 50s.
Nellie was born in 1931 at the Mill Road Maternity Hospital. She was brought up in Anfield as the fourth child along with 10 other siblings. She met her future husband Ted when she was 14. Julie previously recounted to Liverpool Echo how her grandparents met.
She said: “My granddad Ted asked her to go to an army dance and her first question was ‘can you dance?’ He said no. She had to teach him how to dance.”
Nellie and Ted had their first child when she was 18. The pair continued to live with Nellie’s parents until after their third child when they moved to Kirkby. The young couple were some of the first to move to the new Southdene estate in Kirkby in 1954.
(Image: Colin Lane/Liverpool Echo)
Nellie worked a number of jobs including a stretch at the Hippodrome where she regularly mixed with celebrities including Jimmy Tarbuck and Tom O’Connor.
Sadness fell over Nellie and her children when Ted died in 1981 aged 52. Nellie never remarried and always said “there was only ever one love in my life”. After Ted’s death Nellie raised her family on her own while continuing to work.
She worked way into her 70s in varying cleaning jobs including at Kodak’s famous plant in Kirkby. But the family were always been Nellie’s main focus and she was at her happiest when spending time with any of her children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren or great great-children.
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