EVELYN Mary Pratt Boorman, who was known by those who knew her for a lifetime of unstinting generosity, has died peacefully at St Augustine's Priory at Bilsington, near Ashford.

Throughout her life she cared for others and it was only in the past three months that the 90-year-old deteriorated and needed looking after at home by a team of nurses and her daughter, Mary.

Mrs Boorman was born in Maidstone the daughter of a printer. Her mother was an invalid whom she cared for.

During the Second World War she volunteered to drive ambulances and her emergency runs took her throughout Kent.

Later she became the driver for Major Henry Roy Pratt Boorman who was deeply involved in the war efforts in the county. They worked as a team and never parted until his death in 1992.

She became the second wife of the Kent Messenger Group proprietor in 1943 and served as his personal secretary at the newspaper.

They lived at Godmersham until they bought Bilsington Priory in 1946, and it became her home base for more than four decades of devoting her life to her husband and family.

With a farm manager, she ran the 400-acre Priory Farm while her husband expanded the family newspaper business across Kent.

Twice she served as Mayoress of Maidstone with distinction but her real love was rural life.

She was a long serving member of Bilsington Women's Institute and the parish church of St Peter and St Paul where she served for some time as secretary of the Parochial Church Council.

In the 1970s, the village church raised money for a bus to collect parishioners and take them to services. But they desperately needed to raise the petrol money to keep it on the road.

With her sister she made marmalade by the ton to raise the necessary cash and it was always known as the Sunday service that ran on citrus fruit jam.

When she died just a week before the 30th annual honey show at her home, Mrs Boorman was the longest serving member of Ashford Beekeepers' Association.

Mrs Boorman loved her home and took great pride in the six acres of gardens that are still admired by all that visit.

In addition to the beekeepers many other charity organisers were always welcomed to stage events in the grounds of the old Priory.

They ranged from the annual Craft Fayre that has raised many thousands of pounds for local charities, to weddings in the historic building in the grounds.

Her only daughter, Mary, has pledged to continue to live and develop the Priory while husband David Webb runs the farms.

Former vicar and family friend, the Rev Lloyd Williams will return from his Yorkshire parish to conduct the funeral in the parish church today (Wednesday)at 2pm. Another family friend, Evelyn Leonard, will play the organ and her stepson, KM Group chairman Edwin Boorman, will read the lesson.

After cremation at Charing her ashes will be scattered in the Priory gardens near her favourite rock garden.