A pair of community stalwarts who worked to preserve green space in Stone during their lifetimes have been honoured with a memorial bench at Stone’s Westbridge Park.
Stan and Margaret Goodall both served on Stafford Borough Council and Stone Town Council.
Mr Goodall, who became a councillor in the 1980s, was Stone Town Mayor in 1990. He represented the town’s St Michael’s Ward on the borough authority before his death in 2004, aged 72.
During his time as a borough councillor, he encouraged the authority to buy two fields off Trent Road to become a nature reserve. They were later named the Stan Goodall Meadows in his memory.
Mrs Goodall chaired the Environment Sub-Committee at Stone Town Council and her work included maintaining Crown Meadow as a town centre beauty spot during the 2010s. She served as the town”s Deputy Mayor in 2011 and represented Walton as a borough councillor until 2019.
She died in 2023, aged 89. And 18 months later, a memorial bench has been installed at Westbridge Park, close to the M&S food store the great-grandmother had supported the building of during her time as a councillor.
Family members travelled from far and wide to mark the memorial bench installation on Wednesday (March 12). Daughter Jan Cresswell said:
“The reason we wanted it at Westbridge Park was because when she was on the council, she did a lot of research on the site at the William Salt Library in Stafford, poring over the old maps.
“She was quite outspoken and didn’t hold back. She was one of eight children and was thrifty, a keen gardener, forever knitting and committed to the town.
“We thought it fitting that a memorial bench be installed in our parents’ memory as they loved Stone and lived in Stone, My father was born in the railway signalman’s cottage – his father was signalman in Stone.”
The couple were married for almost 50 years and lived in Blythe Bridge before moving to Stone. They had five children and 13 grandchildren.
As well as being dedicated to serving the people of Stone, they were devoted to their family, their children said. Daughter Linda Ball said her father was aspirational and driven, wanting the best for residents.
Her sister Isabelle Guttridge paid tribute to his entrepreneurial spirit. After an apprenticeship as an agricultural engineer, Mr Goodall went on to work for Michelin in sales before running his own business, and he enjoyed DIY in his spare time.
1 comment
Sylvia Wagg
Unfortunately I had not been informed about the memorial bench that has been installed at Westbridge Park in memory of my Aunt and Uncle, Margaret and Stan Goodall.
They were a fabulous couple of whom I was very proud and will always remember them with much love and affection.