Geoffrey IresonA 92-year-old would love to hear from readers who knew his elder sister, Laura Thompson, during her last few years in Malta, where she passed away without her family knowing.
Geoffrey Ireson used to ask after his sister every day, wondering what had happened to her. This prompted Ms Thompson’s siblings to place a notice in this newspaper saying they would like to hear from her or anyone who knew of her whereabouts.
Last Thursday, however, they were informed that Ms Thompson had died on March 21, 2011 at Mater Dei Hospital.
Ms Thomspon was born in Wolverhampton, UK, in 1915, the fifth child of Harry and Rose Ireson. She subsequently had five more siblings, three of whom – Geoffrey, Kenneth and Doreen – are still living. Ms Thompson married Arthur in Wolverhampton in 1948 and soon after they moved to India where Arthur ran a foundry, before returning to the UK where they lived in Exeter, Devon. They had no children and when her husband died in 1989 Ms Thompson spent her time going on cruises.
It was while she was on one such cruise that she stayed in a hotel in Malta, which she liked so much that she made arrangements to live here permanently. She moved to Malta around 2010 when she was 95.
The family had not seen her for many years before her departure to Malta, with only her late brother Thomas getting the odd phone call.
Still, they find it strange that her next of kin were not contacted after she died, and Mr Ireson would like to hear from anyone who knew her during her time in Malta.
The family now know that Ms Ireson spent her time in Malta at the Riviera Hotel, and although they do not have a picture of the woman, she resembles her brother Geoffrey.
She was small in stature – about five feet tall – and was a very private person and quite refined.
Readers with any information or pictures of Ms Thompson can contact Mr Ireson on geoffrey.ireson@btinternet.com.