Loving tributes paid to 'warm and witty' former Daily Post columnist

Tributes have been paid to a former Daily Post columnist who has died, aged 73. Dorinda McCann "touched the hearts of many" and was described as "witty, warm and perceptive".

Her daughter Shereen Jones said she was well-known in Conwy and often shared her family life in her weekly column. She didn't suffer fools gladly and she had a "gift for the great one-liner", say her family.

During her colourful career, she was sent on many assignments including to meet a rock legend and cover a tour of South Africa by Queen Elizabeth II. A mother-of-three, nain and great grandmother, she passed away on June 19.

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Shereen wrote that her mother came from very humble beginnings, "down right poor is closer to the truth and when her mother died when our mother was just 12, she found comfort in books and nature".

Shereen added: "Like a lot of women, she also adored anything that sparkled, and is well known in Conwy for her glamorous attire, which was always accessorised to perfection. She was a wonderful home maker and when we were young, did her very best with very little.

"As children, my parents had very little money. It was the era of 'Boys From The Black Stuff' and 'Giz a job' was very poignant in our house. But in spite all that, she cooked fresh food for the family every night, without fail.

"Pies were a regular because they were cheap to make and she could use all manner of leftovers for the innards. We’d tease her saying 'don’t stand still too long in the kitchen, Mam will put a pastry case over you'.

"In later life, she took great pleasure in cooking food for various events at the Comrades Club in Conwy, and there are many people I’m sure, who will testify that her buffets were something else." Shereen added that her mother took huge pride in making food for people and would rather “curl up in the hedge and die” (another one of her many sayings) than serve up food that wasn’t the absolute best it could be.

She added: "Even the day before she passed away, she mentioned having to go to Bookers because she was fretting about a funeral that she was due to cook for. Little did we know then, that her own death was so close."

Married to Buzz for 23 years, she would say “we argued like Billy-O but when the chips are down, we’re there for each other”. Shereen said her mother left her mark and touched the hearts of many people.

"She was loved and respected and even adored by so many people. She became 'mam' to many youngsters in the community and Auntie Doh to countless more.

"She was a formidable character, a force to be reckoned with. When she walked in the room, everyone was on their best behaviour.

"She was blessed with incredible wit and a gift for the great one liner, the type you so wished you could have come up with yourself. Her memory was astonishing, though she would often say it was a curse.

"Her body was not the most agile but her mind was like a well-oiled machine. Her thirst for knowledge never waned, neither did her ability to make a lasting impression on others, which remained the case until her final breath."

She went on: "She was feisty and fearlessly protective of the people she loved and cared for; her nickname, 'The Dragon' was no accident. 'I don’t suffer fools gladly' was a line we would hear throughout mine and my brother and sister’s life, it’s it’s safe to say that never was a truer word spoken."

Her real passions lay in the arts. She loved to draw flowers such as honeysuckle, detailing the stamens and the twisty branches. She was an incredible cook and an extremely gifted writer, eventually becoming a travel writer and journalist for the Sunday Times magazine, said Shereen.

At the back of the magazine is a page headed "A Day in the Life of" and featuring the rich and the famous. Shereen said: "Without telling anyone, Dorinda put pen to paper and described A Day in the Life of a Chambermaid, as that was her job at the time.

"You’d imagine there’d be limited material here but she painted such a picture, that a few days after sending the article off, she received a call from the editor of the Sunday Times magazine, congratulating her on her work and letting her know that they would indeed be featuring her in the magazine.

"She had a way of connecting with people's lives through her writing. So much so that soon after the the first article was published, she received literally hundreds of letters from readers, I can still recall the look of sheer bewilderment on the postman’s face."

Indeed such was her popularity, that she was featured on the front page of the Sunday Times magazine three times. Shereen said: "Her gift for descriptive writing led her to work all over the world, covering events such as the Oscars to joining the press pack to cover Queen Elizabeth's tour of South Africa.

"She interviewed world renowned musicians such as rock legend, Steve Tyler and would travel with her photographer Jane Hilton, who on that occasion captured our Mam sitting between the legs of Steve Tyler, whilst wearing his hat, now there’s a claim to fame that few can match.

"She also wrote a weekly column for the Daily Post for many years, which often featured family events. We’d never know what candid tale would be shared with the many thousands of readers!"

She was Nain to seven grandchildren and a great grandmother to one and the very best friend to Tania. "She was 'auntie Doh' to countless youths that came into her life and 'mam' to so many because of the care and compassion she showed others. but we were the very lucky ones because she was mam, she was our mam and we will be forever devastated by her absence.

"The Dragon, the matriarch. The one and the only Dorinda McCann."

After her passing, mourners shared their thoughts on Facebook. She was described as "such a wonderful, unique lady. A great journalist, and a special parent". Another wrote: "What an incredible lady with a fascinating life".

A third wrote: "Dorinda taught me the word for the thousands of sparkling diamonds I saw on the ocean's surface once.... Scintillation. And that is what she was. A scintillating diamond. I will miss her not walking this earth."

She leaves Amanda, Shereen and Dai, grandchildren Christian, Peter, Harvey, Ollie, Christian Jnr, Nansi and Olivia and a great granddaughter Evelyn.

• The funeral will be held at Bron y Nant Crematorium in Mochdre on Friday, July 5 at 11.45am. All are welcome to attend the service and pay their final respects. After the service everyone is invited to the Comrades Club in Conwy, for food and refreshments, where there will be an opportunity to reflect on her life. Dorinda's favourite colour was red and people are asked to wear a splash of it in her honour.

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