Tributes paid to Shropshire theatre champion who 'brought joy' to generations of performers
Joan Pinnington, who was a leading light with Shrewsbury Amateur Operatic Society for decades and taught generations of Shropshire children, has died at the age of 91.
And the dress code for her 'final curtain call' tomorrow is 'bright and colourful, with no black and no tears' – as Joan would have said: "You're never fully dressed without a smile."
Her family says they would be delighted to see as many of her friends and former pupils as possible at the funeral at Emstrey Crematorium at 11.30am, and also for a gathering at the Lord Hill Hotel in Shrewsbury afterwards to remember so many happy times.
Joan joined the society as a chorus girl, and her appearance in The Gondoliers in February 1949 at the Granada Theatre in Shrewsbury is thought to have been her debut.
She went on to star in leading parts, and ultimately was the producer and director for around 30 years, during which she directed over 50 shows.
She finally retired in 2002 after a total of 53 years with the group.
Many Salopians will remember her from her teaching days, which spanned a number of schools, starting in the late 1940s at Madeley Modern School, and then Albrighton county primary school, the Lancasterian School in Shrewsbury, Acton Burnell school, and Meole Brace junior school.
Born in Shrewsbury, her family home was at 6 Burton Street in Castlefields. Her father Len Lloyd was a salesman with the Great Western Railway.
During the war the young Joan Lloyd was in the WAAFs.
After the war she went into teaching in a career of around 35 years, in which her leanings were towards PE and drama.
She married Ted Pinnington on August 20, 1955, at Shrewsbury Cathedral on Town Walls.
When she stepped down from the operatic society in April 2002, she was given a grand send-off at the Music Hall.
Her involvement with the operatic society had started because both her father and his brother Frank were already in it.
Joan, who had Alzheimer's in her final years, is survived by children Nicola and John, and two grandchildren.
John said: "It really is remarkable to look back at the number of shows she was involved in over the years and everything she managed to pack into her life, from her early days in Castlefields and walking over the weir in her stocking feet, through her time in the WAAFs where she learned skills as diverse as radar mechanic and chemical warfare instructor, then on to teaching and her lifelong love of music.
"It seemed there was never a time in our house when she was not planning the next production, working out dance steps or trying to accommodate complex shows on the limited stage of the Music Hall.
"Nothing ever seemed to faze her and from an early age Nick and I were both taught there really is no such word as can't.
"She was always so full of energy and life and could rarely sit still, and even when she did, she would be knitting or sewing.
"She just could not bear to be idle and, for preference, would always be outside whenever she could, in the garden or walking around the Shropshire hills she had loved since being a child.
"Even in her later years, she would still recite 'The Giant and the Cobbler' and this was often used in a concert if a few minutes' gap between songs needed to be filled.
"The thing that has really helped us both at this difficult time is knowing how much mum contributed to those around her and how much joy she brought to so many.
"She was so proud of her roots and, wherever her adventures took her, she always loved to come home to Shropshire and all her friends."
