Former president of the London Manx Society, Maron Honeyborne, passed away in London on May 24.

She was 81 and leaves husband Jack, son Magnus, sister Sue (Woolley), nephews, nieces, cousins and a wide circle of friends.

Maron was the eldest of four daughters of Elsie and Stanley Wood of Peel.

She was educated at Peel Clothworkers and the Buchan School.

In the summer holidays she worked as a cashier at the Villa Marina and also took part in the Thursday afternoon Bathing Beauty contests, winning several titles including Miss Fenella 1958.

On leaving school she worked as an editorial assistant on the Isle of Man Examiner, where duties included collecting birth notices from the Jane Crookall and replying to children who wrote to ’Uncle Tim’s Young Folks’ League’.

She met her husband, jazz pianist Jack Honeyborne when he was playing the summer season at the Palace Ballroom with the Squadronnaires.

They married in 1960 and she moved with him to London, where he was resident pianist at the Savoy Hotel.

They celebrated their diamond wedding anniversary earlier this year.

Maron worked primarily as a legal secretary in the City, followed by 15 years as a member of the ground staff at Heathrow Airport, where one of her roles was to welcome VIP guests as they disembarked.

The Isle of Man was always ’home’ and even when back in London she kept up with the news by reading the Manx papers and she immersed herself in the London Manx Society, helping revitalise the organisation in the 1980s and forging strong friendships with fellow ’exiles’.

She was heavily involved in local politics, serving several terms on Ealing Borough Council representing the Conservative Party and also held the office of Mayoress.

As a musician’s wife, she accompanied Jack on numerous tours abroad which included a year in Canada when he was resident pianist at the Banff Springs Hotel.

She also travelled solo to Japan, Australia and across Canada by Greyhound bus.

Maron had many loyal friends, who have paid tribute to ’an extraordinary woman’, ’once met never forgotten’, and ’one of the kindest, most generous people you were ever likely to meet’.