Lorna Collacott, WW2 code breaker veteran, dies at 94

Lorna Collacott, a former code breaker for the Royal Air Force, died after living a life filled with fun.

Right up until the last two days of her life, Joyce Cherwak said her mother was knitting small blankets for the humane society.

"She liked to be involved. She liked to volunteer," said Cherwak.

Collacott died on April 19, 2019, at the age of 94.

A secret for 50 years

Before Collacott moved to Windsor-Essex with her husband, she lived in Kent, a county in England.

She lived through bombings, deaths of loved ones and people she knew, before signing up to be part of the war effort.

It was in a training school for codes and ciphers where she found success, before being sent to be part of the air force in Edinborough.

While this was quite a feat, Collacott kept it a secret from her children for 50 years.

"We knew she had served during the Second World War, but we didn't realize that what she had done was such a significant role," said Cherwak.

"I'm proud of what she did in the war, and as she always said, 'Oh, it's just doing my bit.'"

'Enormous sense of play'

While Collacott had a great military career and a true "sense of duty," Cherwak wants the family members who are left behind to remember the kind of fun-loving person Collacott was.

The veteran loved to dance, to bake and to read, according to her daughter.

Wendy McCarthy, whose mother was part of a euchre circle of friends with Collacott, said the group played once a month, rotating from house to house.

"Seems they laughed more than played cards," McCarthywrote on the obituary guest book.

Collacott also loved celebrations. For her 90th birthday, the family held a huge "open-house" type party.

"I also hope [family members] remember that she had an enormous sense of play," said Cherwak.

"She knew what fun was. And she knew how to have fun and get other people involved in having fun."