FORMER secretary Monica Cook, who served the same farming family for 68 years, has died after a short illness in York District Hospital. She was 89.

Miss Cook lived in York all her life, with spells at Cemetery Road, Heslington Lane and Aldreth Grove.

She started work for farmer Richard Hobson in 1931. She then went on to become secretary to his son, Tommy, at Sutton-on-Derwent; then to his sons, Richard and Tim; and finally to Richard's sons, Nick and Chris, and Tim's son, Roger.

She retired in December 1999 and recalled then how her first employer Richard Hobson had not liked typewriters. It was only after the Second World War finished that she was able to use one. She said she had never got involved with computers and it had been "enough for me getting used to Pay As You Earn and VAT".

Outside work, she was also secretary for Woodhouse Grange Cricket Club, which was set up by Tommy Hobson in 1942. In addition, she was the club's scorer, helped with the teas on match days and acted as chauffeur to players without cars.

She stayed in the post until 1978, becoming the third longest-serving secretary in the York and District Cricket League.

Alasdair Swann, former chairman of Woodhouse Grange Cricket Club and now a committee member, said: "Monica was a very special lady. When we joined the club as young players she looked after us. She did a huge amount of work as secretary, tea lady, scorer and chauffeur, and perhaps it was all summed up well when I wrote in our recently published diamond jubilee brochure, 'Some role, some lady'."

Her funeral service was due to take place at St Oswald's Church in Fulford at 2.15pm today.

Updated: 11:41 Monday, February 11, 2002