From Career Nurse To Honorary Wellbeing Assistant – Meet Cotman House Resident, Marjorie

When the Cotman House Wellbeing team gained an honorary member, it soon became clear that resident Marjorie’s natural instinct to help others was the way she had always lived her life.

The Wartime Years

Marjorie King was born in London in 1939. Her mother, Vera, was a domestic worker and her father, William, was a labourer’s assistant. Marjorie and her two siblings, Myra and David, had been born in quick succession, just before the war started.

The family were originally from South Wales and this is where they moved back to when bombing intensified in London. They lived with Vera’s mother, Granny Green – known as Mamgu - Mamgi in Welsh. (The name stayed with Marjorie and many years later, she encouraged her own grandchildren to call her Mamgu).

Marjorie’s father was a corporal in the army and during this time Vera became seriously ill. She died aged 24. The children needed to be cared for but because William did not get on with Granny Green, the children were not allowed to stay with her. Instead, they went to a Barnardo’s home in Cardiff when Margaret was almost 4 years old.

From Childhood to a Calling in Nursing

In 1944, Marjorie and her sister Myra were moved to a home in Shifnal, Shropshire and David was relocated to a boys’ home a few miles away. Then aged 9, Marjorie was sent to Barnardo’s in Clacton, possibly to be nearer her father, and later went to school in Essex, returning to Clacton during the holidays. She did pretty well at school and despite the disruption, her childhood years were happy. Marjorie recalls that, “Everybody seemed to try to help. We were always laughing, smiling”.

Marjorie’s father died from tuberculosis in 1955. She had wanted to be a nurse from early on but needed to wait until she was old enough to begin training. Marjorie’s first nursing post was at the Belgrave Hospital for Children, followed by a position at a home for convalescent children in Broadstairs, Kent.

In 1958, her sister Myra married an American and emigrated to Nashville. Marjorie was given a £5 note – something she had never seen before.

A Meaningful Career and Family Life

Between 1961 and 1963, Marjorie worked at Kings College Hospital, which is where she met her future husband, Barry. Once married they lived in Hampton Court for a while before moving to Ipswich, and subsequently Tostock, Bury St Edmunds and Lavenham, all in Suffolk. The couple had four sons – Jonathan, Sam, Jeremy and also Timothy who sadly, died at birth.

Marjorie’s career was always focused on caring for children and as well as being a children’s nurse, she also worked as a midwife. Later, in the 1990s, when she and her husband had divorced, Marjorie retrained, obtaining a degree and becoming a Health Visitor, working mainly in the Lavenham and Sudbury area. During the later part of her working life, Marjorie was a Nurse Specialist for child protection.

When asked about helping a lot of children over the years, Marjorie replied, “Well sometimes I thought it was them helping me. They were having difficulty sometimes, sometimes they couldn’t do things and they asked me how I did it. I was able to say, can I help, and somehow things that seemed awful to them became things they could do easily in a certain way”.

Retirement and a Return to Ipswich

When she finally retired, Marjorie enjoyed travelling around the world with her partner Tony, including trips to America and China. When Tony died in 2010, she spent more time helping her son Sam and his wife look after their disabled son, Zack, who had been profoundly affected by meningitis when he was 11 months old.

Marjorie returned to Ipswich just before the Covid pandemic as many of her friends were leaving Lavenham and she wanted to be nearer her family; Sam and his family in Ipswich and Jonathan in Bury St Edmunds. Jeremy lives in Australia with his wife and two daughters and Marjorie has visited them. “They have a lovely time”, she said, proudly.

Life at Cotman House

In December 2025, Marjorie moved into Cotman House Care Home in Felixstowe. She’s bright, positive and wonderfully fit for her 87 years. Marjorie is living a full, purposeful life whilst being supported with her diagnosis of dementia. What shines through is her innate desire to help others – a quality which led her into nursing as soon as she was able to work and has been a driving force throughout her life.

Marjorie loves the sea view from her room at Cotman House, which also reminds her that she used to swim regularly. She remembers, “I used to love it”. She also enjoys spending time in the home’s beautiful garden and being able to move freely around the home is important to Marjorie

Residents Joan and Margaret describe Marjorie as being “very helpful”, and they added, “If she sees you struggling with anything – like putting on your cardigan – she helps you”.

Marjorie became a keen participant the various activities at Cotman House which are planned onto a monthly calendar by the home’s Wellbeing team. Soon, her instinctive desire to be involved and to be useful, led Marjorie to offer her help. Recognising that this would give Marjorie a sense of purpose, Wellbeing team members Fiona and Sharon invited her to join them at 9am each morning. Together, they set things up for the day’s activity – whether it’s colouring sheets and pencils, balls of wool or items for creating a collage.

Marjorie explained, “Things need doing and somehow I manage to do them. Things seemed to be ok, so I just carried on. It was natural. Then I take part in the activities. I see the timetable so I know what’s on when. Recently it was making dried flower arrangements with mixed leaves from the garden. I’d never done that before”.

The involvement has given Marjorie genuine pleasure, as well as a structure to her day and in recognition of the support she gives the Wellbeing team, Marjorie has been declared an honorary member. She was even presented with her own team badge which she wears proudly, every day.

The Love for Helping Others

Cotman House Manager, Kirsty, is incredibly proud of the way Marjorie has found her place at Cotman House, explaining, “Marjorie is an absolute pleasure to care for. She is so helpful and kind to everyone she meets. When a new resident arrives at Cotman House, Marjorie gives them a mini induction to the home, to show them the ropes. It is an honour to be able to provide care and support to a former nurse, someone that has cared for others all of her life.

I have been lucky enough to sit with Marjorie and listen to her life story, she is an incredible lady. That is the beauty of working in the care sector, you get to meet inspirational people and learn from them very day. Marjorie is the perfect example of those who were born to care and look after others. Even in the later stages of life, you do not lose the love for helping others”.

Welcome to Cotman House Care Home

Choosing a care home for your loved one is never easy, especially when you're seeking more than just support with day-to-day needs. At Cotman House Care Home in Felixstowe, we understand that you're looking for a place where your loved one will feel respected, valued and truly at home.

We provide residential, dementia and end-of-life care, but we offer more than professional support, we offer a compassionate home. Accredited in specialist palliative care, our team is here to support both residents and families during emotional and often overwhelming times.

We work hand-in-hand with local healthcare professionals, offering personalised care that promotes dignity, independence and connection. If your loved one has been feeling lonely or isolated, they’ll find friendship, comfort and reassurance in the warmth of our home.

Want to know more? Call us on 01394 334 389 to book your personal tour.