Margaret Balharry, who ran the Brown Horse Hotel in Brechin for over 40 years with her husband William, has died aged 86.
She was born in the Southsea district of Portsmouth in 1924, was brought up in Amersham and worked with insurance broker Price Forbes, cycling three miles every day to catch the train to London.
She met Mr Balharry while he was stationed in Buckinghamshire with the Royal Signal Corps, attached to the 51st Highland Division.
He was in the Allied campaign in north Africa and D-Day landings and was among 14 Normandy veterans from Brechin to receive honour diplomas from the French consulate.
They were wed in 1945 in the Commercial Hotel, now Northern Hotel, Brechin.
Mr Balharry’s grandfather, also William, bought the Brown Horse in 1896, passing the mantle to his son a decade or so later and Mr Balharry, who was born on the premises in 1919, took over the reins in 1946.
The couple worked hard in the family business until they sold it in 1990 to Agnes and Jack Gentles.
Mrs Balharry was the driving force behind the business and in 1967 they expanded the hotel, creating a large lounge so ladies could also enjoy their hospitality. To this day locals still talk of Balharry’s or the Stables, as the new lounge was named.
In 1980 daughter Susan died suddenly at 29, leaving three young children. From then on Mrs Balharry concentrated mostly on their wellbeing. She continued to support her husband in running the business.
Her latter years were spent in the Glens nursing home in Edzell, which used to be the Central Hotel.
Mrs Balharry is survived by son Peter and grandchildren Gavin, Lindsay and Robin. She was also a great-grandmother.