'Our beloved Kitty': Town council pays tribute to the ‘Queen of Whitnash’
Whitnash Town Council has paid tribute to local stalwart Kitty Crutchley who died earlier this month.
Speaking at the start of the full meeting of the town council this month, Cllr Simon Button read out a heartfelt tribute to his fellow councillor who served the people of the town for decades.
Cllr Button, who was chairing the meeting, said he first met Kitty when she was playing darts at the Leopard pub in 1983 and “had been honoured to call her a friend since then”.
He said: “Trust me, we could go on forever, but this is just a very brief summary of an incredible passionate, loyal and hard working lady.”
Kitty was Born in County Cork in Ireland on June 28, 1932, and passed away, aged 93, on March 11 this month.
She married her husband Don in 1956. Don died in 2007.
"She absolutely adored him,” said Cllr Button.
A devout Christian, Kitty was a member of the congregation of St Margaret’s Parochial Church Council for many years.
A mother to Karen, Beverley, Allison, Stuart and Sonia, and a loving grandmother and great grandmother, Kitty was “a lady who would do anything for anyone and a great friend to many who did not suffer fools at all,” Cllr Button said.
Kitty was a loyal parish councillor, in ‘the village’ as she called it, as a member of the Whitnash Ratepayer’s Association.
She was the chairwoman of the town council from 1986 to 1988.
She was also a school governor and was a founder of Whitnash Sports and Social Club, which opened in 1959.
She was life member of the club, a committee member, and a key part of the club’s history.
Kitty was a member of many clubs and teams over the years, including Whitnash Twinning and Whitnash Windmill Pétanque club, plus a member of St Patrick’s Irish Club in Leamington.
She was also a big fan of Leamington Football Club.
She set up the town’s Senior’s Luncheon Club, which ran for many years from 2009.
Attending the club was one of the highlights of the week for many pensioners in the town.
Kitty was also a Freeman of the Town of Whitnash, and represented the town as a Warwick District Councillor for eight years.
In April 2022, Kitty was an honoured recipient for the Maundy Money, presented at Windsor Castle by the then Prince Charles.
Before asking fellow councillors to stand and observe a minute’s silence at the meeting in Kitty’s honour, Cllr Button said: “Rest in Peace Kitty Crutchley – the legend, the ‘Queen of Whitnash’ and loved by everyone.
“You will be sorely missed.”
Kitty’s funeral will take place at St Margaret’s church in Whitnash on Thursday April 16 at 1pm and a wake will take place afterwards at the Whitnash Sports and Social Club in Heathcote Road.
To pay its own tribute to Kitty, Warwick District Council will fly a flag at half mast at the town hall in Leamington on the day of the funeral.