A nan from Liverpool who "everybody gravitated towards' has died age 84.
A "war baby" born on July 7, 1939, Marie Black, nee Santamera, was evacuated with her parents and brother from Liverpool 7 to the Lake District during the Second World War. Later working as a medical secretary in Carlisle and then moving to Glenridding in the 1950s, Marie moved back to Liverpool as an adult when she met her husband, Harry Black.
While in the Lakes, it was a cousin of Marie who introduced her to Harry, who was from and still living in Liverpool. The couple married in 1960, moved to Wavertree and went on to have two children, Peter and Heidi, before the family went on exciting adventures around the globe.
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The ECHO previously reported how Cammell Laird worker Harry's career took him and his family abroad, playing gigs in New York and Brussels. Harry, who died in 2014, joined the Father’s Moustache banjo night club in New York, which saw the family go Stateside and beyond.
Marie, who was a nan-of-six, died aged 84 on Thursday, August 3, but was always "quick-witted" and "the salt of the Earth." Paying tribute, Marie's eldest grandchild, Daniel Mughal, 39, told the ECHO: "She moved up to the Lakes as a war baby and she worked as a secretary in about 1961 in Barker & Dobson in Liverpool.
"My nan got married to my grandad who was a jazz musician and a comedian and they moved back to Liverpool where they had my mum and uncle. My grandad played the opening night of the Cavern Club, so it was quite an exciting time in Liverpool in general.
"She remembered him coming back and saying this great act were on and they're all in leather and they're called The Beatles. She was definitely fascinated with the music scene.
"She was such a people's person that she always kept her links to Liverpool. She would always go to back to visit family in Liverpool and still has family in Liverpool to this day."
Daniel said whenever his nan met people from Liverpool on her travels, she'd let them know her back story to the city and all the places she had lived. He said Marie would always "proudly proclaim herself to be a Scouser."
Daniel said: "She was just the sweetest most unassuming person. She was just full of humour.
"While my grandad was a stage act and was on The Comedians, she kind of gave him a real run for his money she was just so quick-witted. Even towards the end, that wasn't something she really lost."
Through the years, Daniel said Marie talked about her days travelling and how important it was that they they stayed together as a family to all experience it. Daniel said: "She would always talk fondly about the New York days.
"It was a bit of a rarity, especially back in those days for people to travel as much as they did, versus now were getting on a flight is not really a big deal. She was always speaking about people, it was never about the money they earned or the success they had, the memories were always about the great people they met and the experiences that they had."
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The family came back to England in 1976 and in later years got into the pub trade, owning Cross Keys in Milnthorpe and then the Hole in the Wall in Bowness. Daniel said his grandparents are still remembered for their "legendary" music nights, which carried on their love of entertainment and being around people.
Daniel said: "I used to say you're just salt of the earth aren't you nan. She was just so grounded and it was not about materialistic things it was about people.
"Everybody just gravitated toward her and my grandad, people just wanted to be around her. You always felt better after having spoken to her because she was always so caring and had a genuine interest in everybody she spoke to."
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