'Grandma was a key person at Bury FC for 48 years'

A Greater Manchester football club has paid tribute to one of their "longest serving personalities" who worked for the club for almost five decades.

Joan Curtis, 86, died on Monday after completing 48 years of service at Bury FC - including on an unpaid basis after the club was expelled from the English Football League in 2019.

In a Facebook post, the club said: "Joan Curtis was a familiar face for generations of supporters, having dedicated most of her working life to the Shakers. Rest in peace, Joan."

Joan's granddaughter Hannah Kent, 27, said. "People come and go so much in football, whether it is managers or players, but she was a key person in that football club for almost 50 years."

Ms Curtis' connection to Bury FC began with her father Bill Gorman, who was a pre-war player for the Shakers - before his career took him to Brentford in 1938.

Ms Curtis began working at Bury FC's Gigg Lane in 1972, selling bingo tickets, before moving to the club's commercial department.

Her children, Michael Curtis, 50, and Lynne Kent, 52, were also long-standing club employees up until 2019, having been born and raised just a few doors down from the grounds.

Between the three of them they had clocked up more than 100 years' service for the Shakers.

After Ms Curtis' death on Monday, Bury FC published a tribute to Ms Curtis on their website - recognising her for dedicating her life to the club.

Since then, Ms Kent said the family has been inundated with messages from fans and club legends offering their support.

"It's so lovely to know what Grandma meant to so many at the club.

"The response we've had from past players and past managers, past directors, has just been completely overwhelming and she would be loving all this.

"Ryan Lowe is the person that really stands out for us as a family," Ms Kent said.

"He came to visit her not long ago and I think if he hadn't been managing himself last weekend, he would have come and seen her himself, because he did contact my mum about that."

Ms Kent said her family have heard that Bury FC may pay tribute to Ms Curtis at the club's upcoming home match against Mossley on 13 Decemeber.

"I'm sure it will be lovely, whatever tribute might come," Ms Kent said. "Whether that be in the programme, or on the match day on Saturday - and we'll be really grateful for that."

"Even though she's not here she's being remembered and recognised," she said.

"The words we're seeing used are 'lovely' and 'kind' and 'caring' - and she was all those things.

"She was so generous and had lots of time for people.

"It's nice to see things that I've always admired about her written down from people from across the generations - my age, younger but also people she worked with 40 plus years ago.

"It is really special and lovely because there's nothing nicer than seeing all of those things said about someone that you loved so much."

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