A RETIRED midwife who delivered almost 400 babies in rural communities has died at the age of 95.

Mary Snaith often battled through heavy snow and ice to reach women in labour in farms and villages across Weardale. She always carried a shovel in the boot, but at times the conditions were so hazardous she abandoned her car and continued on foot.

This determination, combined with her caring nature, endeared her to many, with one woman who she assisted while training in Edinburgh naming her baby Mary in her honour.

High House Chapel in Ireshopeburn was packed out last week for her funeral, with the congregation including people the grandmother-of-two had brought into the world.

Born and bred in Frosterley, Mrs Snaith left Weardale to train as a nurse in Newcastle when she was 18. After three years at Bensham General Hospital in Gateshead and a year at the Sunderland Royal Infirmary she qualified as a state registered nurse. However, her dream was to become a midwife so she moved to Edinburgh where she gained the skills required.

After qualifying she returned to the North-East and worked as a midwife in hospitals across the region before serving as a district midwife in Weardale for 30 years. In 2007, she was invited to Buckingham Palace as a reward for her dedication.

Mrs Snaith married her husband, Kenneth, in 1947 and the couple settled in St John’s Chapel in Upper Weardale.They had three children, Raymond, Kathleen and Margaret, and have two grandchildren, Melis and Jem.

After her retirement, Mrs Snaith continued to enjoy a full and active life. She was a regular at the village’s lunch club and High House Chapel. Twice a year for 27 years, she visited her daughter, Margaret, and her family in Istanbul in Turkey.

Mrs Snaith lived in the same house in St John’s Chapel for 63 years, and was “fiercely independent.

Her daughter Kathleen Pagella said: “She was determined to keep going and to do things for herself. Her brain was younger than her physical body. She was always alert. She was also a very caring lady -even in her nineties, she would be helping others much younger than herself to get to the lunch club.”

Weardale councillor John Shuttleworth, who was friends with Mrs Snaith, added: “She was such a kind lady. She will be greatly missed in Weardale.”

Mrs Snaith’s family would like to thank all those who sent cards and messages of condolence following her death on November 28, with special thanks to Deacon Sue Peat, Diana Sutcliffe and the Women’s Institute. They are also grateful for the generous donations to the Great North Air Ambulance Service, the British Heart Foundation and High House Chapel in Mrs Snaith’s memory.