Patricia Olive Betty Olive, who moved to the town with her husband Mike in the 1970s, died on Thursday, December 12, 2024.
Patricia was born on January 15, 1927, a birthday also shared by Mike. The pair both attended the Portsmouth Northern Grammar School but met at a gathering held by a mutual friend.
Patricia and Mike Olive (Image: Mike Olive)
The couple’s marriage was meant to be, according to Mike, as in addition to having the same birthday, the pair also share the name Olive as well as Patricia’s maiden name being identical to Mike’s mother’s maiden name.
Mike and Patricia got married on December 7, 1957, at St Saviours Church in Portsmouth by a former navigator, Rev. Alan Talbot, who had led the RAF’s 517 Squadron.
The couple had four children in America, two of whom have died, in addition to 28 grandchildren and five, soon to be six, great-great-grandchildren.
Mike said: “Pat was asked at 16 years old to be the Akela of H.M.S Bellerophon’s Own 49th Portsmouth Scout and Wolf Cub Pack by the Navy, and I helped after we met.
“We used to go on board H.M.S Vanguard in Portsmouth Harbour for church parades.”
The pair moved to the USA in 1963 before returning to the UK in 1970 so Patricia and Mike’s children could have a closer relationship with their grandparents.
The couple moved to Basingstoke due to Patricia’s job as a social worker, as she was in charge of Cyprus Lodge Children’s Home in Old Basing, which was redeveloped into housing in 2014.
Patricia died in St Thomas Care Home, in St Thomas Close, in December, with advanced dementia and a chest infection that developed into pneumonia after having lived in the care home for more than a year.
Her funeral will be held on Wednesday, January 15, at Basingstoke Crematorium at 2pm. The date also marks Patricia’s 88th birthday.