The obituary notice of Oneta Mary WILSON

Greatly Missed

Lovely best friend to my Grandmother, will be missed by all our family, Sara, Sam,Maximus and Millicent x

Dr Oneta Mary Wilson: When A Sterling Soul Departs

I got to know Dr Wilson early in the 2000s, as a Henshaws client, whilst she volunteered to drive us to various engagements, in and around Manchester. As people of similar background, we soon found common grounds; and many thanks to Marry who intuitively noticed our backgrounds and advertently)?) paired us together on many such trips in and around Manchester.
Dr Wilson encouraged my development endeavours, first by introducing me to some academics at the University of Salford and later by assisting in the procurement of some old publications in the field of Hydrology. Soon after we met, I requested Dr Wilson to assist me in finding the landmark publication of H. L. Penman (1948) on evapotranspiration; and true to her kind and dependable self, she diligently undertook that task, and soon delivered into my grateful and happy hands that landmark work, which is the holy grail of evapotranspiration studies. As a Geologist, Dr Wilson was also familiar with the (oil) resource curse that was the Niger Delta Region of my country, Nigeria; and over this issue we had long, fruitful and informative discussions during our drives to, and from our engagements. Dr Wilson was an amiable and kind personality.
Although, I have not seen her in a long while after Henshaws; however, it is gratifying to note that she stayed on with Henshaws well into her twilight years, and I am sure that she will be sorely missed by all the Henshaws family.
As I bid her farewell in these words, I am particularly grateful to God for her life of sterling and committed service to humanity and the disabled and do consider it a privilege to have met and known her. May her gentle soul rest in peace, and in the full knowledge that she will be sorely missed on this side.
Adieu Oneta, and bless you on your way.

Oluremi Olu

Thank you Oneta for all that you did. You were truly a star.

I met Oneta when I joined Henshaws Society for Blind People in 2003, along with a cohort of fellow volunteers from the 2002 Commonwealth Games. Oneta had been a volunteer driver for the Commonwealth Games and had lovely tales of driving the athletes around Manchester.

Oneta was a volunteer driver and guide for Henshaws for over 23 years, and will have helped countless blind and visually impaired people during that time. In particular, Oneta was a volunteer driver and guide for the Tuesday Social Group, picking up group members weekly and accompanying them on their activities. She also volunteered for the monthly Art Galleries and Museums Group. She took group members to galleries and museums in Greater Manchester, guiding them around the special exhibition tours designed for blind and partially sighted people to enjoy.

Oneta was a friend to so many people within Henshaws, and who will have reasons to be grateful for all her selfless help and friendship. The Henshaws Charity Director writes “What a contribution she has made to the people whom Henshaws help and to the organisation – she will be sadly missed.”