OBITUARY: Margaret Ismay

MRS. ISMAY, widow of Mr. Thomas Henry Ismay, the founder of the White Star Line, and mother of Mr. Bruce Ismay, head of the International Mercantile Marine Company, died yesterday morning, at the residence of her daughter, Mrs. Geoffrey Drage, in Cadogan-square, London, where she had been staying for some months. Mrs. Ismay had been in failing health for some time. She was the daughter of the late Mr. Luke Bruce, shipowner, and was married, in 1859, to Mr. Ismay, by whom she had a family of three sons and four daughters. Since her husband’s death in November, 1899, Mrs. Ismay had lived in retirement at Dawpool, Thurstaston, Cheshire. In the early part of 1900, in accordance with her husband’s wish, she gave £10,000 to establish the Margaret Ismay Widows’ Fund as a continuation of the Liverpool Seamen’s Pension Fund, founded by her husband, under the Mercantile Marine Service Association, in 1887, by a gift of £20,000. Mrs. Ismay augmented her gift in October last by a further domination of £5,000. She also contributed £10,000 to the Liverpool Cathedral scheme, and had agreed to provide the great east window of the Cathedral in memory of her husband, while she augmented the benefice of Thurstaston, and the new Dawpool schools were almost entirely the result of her generosity. She was in her 70th year. The funeral will take place at Thurstaston Church, at 3 30 on Friday afternoon.