PORTER, Mrs Geoffrey (Rosan Winifred nee SPENCER-SMITH) (1934-2025)
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Rosan Winifred Porter
31st October 1934 - 2nd October 2025
Rosan was born on the Isle of Wight, in 1934. She was proud of her family's long connection with the county of Hampshire. Her paternal grandfather, Orlando Spencer-Smith, had been born at Brooklands, a large house overlooking the Hamble. He was for many years the vicar at nearby Sarisbury Green. Her father, Richard Osbaldeston Spencer-Smith, was an officer in the Hampshire Regiment, who had seen active service in the Great War on the Somme and before that at Gallipoli, where he had been wounded. At the time of Rosan's birth, he was colonel of the Isle of Wight Rifles. She had two older brothers who were also both regular army officers and who served in the Second World War: Roland, who also joined the Hampshire Regiment, and Drummond, the Royal Tank Regiment. With strong military connections on her maternal side as well, Rosan’s other grandfather, Harry Everard Passy, served in the Indian Army and was Deputy Accountant-General to the military department of the Government of India.Rosan grew up at the Mount, an Edwardian mansion outside Fareham and later moved to a cottage nearby in Dundridge. Much later, when nursing her mother, she met Geoffrey, who was the locum GP. In 1979 she and Geoffrey married, and early in 1980 they bought Gaston Wood Farm in Upper Wyke. Geoffrey became the local GP, and in the early years would hold his surgeries in St Mary Bourne village hall. They were married for 32 years until, sadly, Geoffrey died following a stroke in 2011 [….]
She was the dau of Col Richard Osbaldston SPENCER-SMITH (1885-1962) scion of the Spencer-Smith Baronets (cr 1804) being descended from the yr brother of the 2nd Bt, and (m as his 2nd w 1932) Christian Louisa PASSY (d 1962). She m 1979 Geoffrey Duncan PORTER (d 2011). No issue.