The much loved and well-respected Islander, Gloria Minghella MBE, passed away yesterday (Thursday) according to her family.
Mrs Minghella has been very much part of Island life for over 60 years having set up the world-famous Minghella Ice Cream company with her husband Edward, which continues to trade today with the assistance of their daughter, Gioia.
Not only setting firm roots on the Island with the Wootton-based ice cream company, Gloria – who has been described as an Island treasure – served as a mayor and a local magistrate for many years and in 2007 was awarded an MBE for her dedication to and fundraising for charity.
Mrs Minghella’s charity career began as a prison visitor volunteer, before setting up a resident information bureau and eventually becoming the president of the Isle of Wight Motor Neurone Disease Association, among other fundraising efforts.
Each year Gloria could be seen to walk with the Ryde Carnival procession collecting donations, highlighting her pure dedication to the work she was involved in not for herself, but for others.
Floods of messages of condolence have been posted on social networking websites overnight as Islanders remember Mrs Minghella, who died aged 83 at the Earl Mountbatten Hospice yesterday morning.
She is survived by her husband Eddie; daughters Gioia, Edana and Loretta; son Dominic and many grandchildren. Her late son, Oscar winning director Anthony Minghella, died in 2008.
Our thoughts go out to the Minghella family at this difficult time.
Photo: Marie-Lan Nguyen
