Tributes have poured in for a "one of a kind" great-grandmother whose kindness helped establish a major Welsh food wholesale firm to take off. Dorothy Edwards, lovingly known as "Granny Dot", who passed away on March 28, was instrumental in the founding of Harlech Foodservice after supporting her family with a vital loan over half a century ago. In 1972, Dorothy and her husband Harry provided £6,000 – worth around £100,000 in today's money – allowing their daughter Gill and son-in-law Colin Foskett to purchase a frozen food shop and wholesale operation in Harlech.
That courageous decision created the groundwork for the family-run enterprise that now has 300 employees and serves pubs, restaurants, schools and hospitals throughout Wales, the North West, Shropshire, and the Midlands. In tribute, her family described Dorothy as "one of a kind" who lived a "long and beautiful life". She leaves behind an enduring legacy through both her family and the company.
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Grandson Andrew, the firm's joint chairman, deemed the loan in 1972 "life-changing", saying: "Without my grandmother, Harlech Foodservice would simply not exist. The circumstances were there, the opportunity came along and the rest is history.
"Giving that money was a gamble, but I remember grandad's comment to my dad Colin, he said 'if it doesn't work out, it's not for the want of trying'. So they backed them knowing they would have the ability to make a go of it. They could see the business had lots of potential.
"Dorothy and Harry must have raised the £6,000 from money from their family business, Harry Edwards and Sons funeral directors."
Andrew explained that his grandmother's tie to the business went far beyond the initial loan, as she continued to keep tabs. "They [Dorothy and Harry] would visit the business quite often, it wouldn't be unusual for staff to see them at the business," he said.
"Dorothy would still follow Harlech on their Facebook page in her later years, she took an ongoing interest in it. She was over the moon about the success of the business and that the family still owns the business and we still run the business.
"The family-run ethos still runs through the business and now we employ 300 people and have an annual turnover of about £70 million. Dorothy and Harry knew the Harlech area because they were one of the first customers in the 1960s of the Islawffordd caravan site at Dyffryn.
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"Mum and dad bought the food and retail wholesale business in Harlech from dad's brother Bob and his wife Beryl.
"Bob and Beryl went on to found Magna Specialist Confectioners, who are based in Stafford Park in Telford."
According to Andrew, his grandmother was always full of fun and laughter. As reported by WalesOnline, he said: "She quite often would tell stories but laugh so much it was difficult for her to complete the story, especially when her daughters were around because they would be laughing so much," he shared. "The stories were often never completed because of the hysterical outbursts."
Mrs Edwards was born in 1923 in Shrewsbury to William and Priscilla Fenn, with the family relocating to Wellington in 1931 due to William's railway employment.
She attended Constitution Hill School and finished her education at 14 to become an assistant at an upmarket ladies' outfitters on Church Street, Wellington.
She encountered Harry through her close friendship with his sister Phyllis, and their initial outing together was at a fairground.
Throughout the Second World War, she manufactured Spitfire components at Joseph Sankey and Sons in Hadley. Meanwhile, Harry served as an Army gunner during the war and was deployed to Greece. They went on to wed in 1945 at New Street Methodist Church in Wellington.
Andrew said: "Prior to that, Dorothy had not seen Harry for three years because of the war. As Harry was coming back from the war, he sent a telegram asking Dorothy to arrange the wedding for when he got back.
"They had six children, Gillian, Jennifer, Janet, Robert, Elizabeth and Susan. Harry worked in the family business, Harry Edwards and Sons funeral directors and joiners, after the war and eventually he bought both his brothers Tom and Frank out of the business in 1979. Dorothy worked in the business and she used to help Harry recover people that had passed away any time day or night.
"Harry retired in 1989 and that was when they sold the business. They moved to Ringers Way in Admaston and they cared for Dorothy's mother Priscilla who lived with them before Priscilla passed away in 1993 at the age of 98.
"In 1997 they bought a bungalow in Elmsdale Crescent in Admaston and Harry and Dorothy set about putting their stamp on the place, it needed a bit of work doing to it. Harry of course being a joiner set about making it their own home."
Dorothy leaves behind her grandchildren Jonathan, Andrew, Laura, Joshua and Molly Rose. She also leaves great-grandchildren Toby, Hari, Charlie, Ella, Mili, Maisie, Joel, Nancy, Eden and Dorothy.
A service celebrating Mrs Edwards's life will be held on Friday, May 1 at 2.30pm at Telford Crematorium, with donations invited for the Midlands Air Ambulance.
