OBIT: Much loved ‘Castleford cake lady’ Marjorie Wood passes away

Mrs Marjorie Wood, who owned the Cake Box on Wilson Street in Castleford, died peacefully at her home on Tuesday, September 27 after a short illness.

Marjorie was a superb baker specialised in cake decorating from an early age after being taught by a local lady in her teens.

Her first monumental effort was her own three tier wedding cake when she married her husband Lewis in 1965 followed by her family and friends’ many celebration cakes in all shapes and sizes.

Her son, John, said: "She opened her shop in 1984 during the miners strike and was an instant success after it was said that you had to go to the city centre to get the equipment she stocked in her ‘Aladdin’s Cave’ shop."

She was joined by her daughter Andrea in the business soon after they created some of the best wedding cakes in the district.

Not one to stand on her laurel’s, the entrepreneurial lady, at the age of 40, decided to enrol at Thomas Danby catering college, where after a two year course she attained her City in Guilds certification.

John said: "The knowledge she picked up was invaluable to her and it led her onto a teaching course followed by becoming a cake decorating teacher herself.

"Her vast knowledge of the art of cake decoration was soon spotted by the Wakefield Catering College where she began a fairly long career as a night school teacher, this lead to her teaching at other venues in the area.”

Marjorie also had a stint of working in the Occupational Therapy unit in Pontefract General infirmary where she helped her students back to health with her creative talents.

"This wasn’t a job to her - it was a passion and life-long hobby," John said.

Alongside her teaching and shop work she also began taking her traditional fruitcakes to a few local school craft fairs ‘out of wedding season’, but after a few years she was invited to do the larger fairs at the Wakefield and Barnsley Victorian outdoor markets as well as Christmas lights switch-on where people would queue up to buy her ‘no nuts or candied peel’ cakes.

She was always supported at these events by Lewis and Janet alongside her children Andrea and John and grandchildren Amy and Heather who often dressed up for the occasion with top hats and cloth caps.

John said: "Her baking talents also took the family to craft fairs and farmers markets at Leeds, Wentworth, Beverley, Knaresborough, Masham and Louth in Lincolnshire to name a few, where her cake samples

"Customers would often ring up and ask if the ‘Castleford cake lady’ was coming this year? to which she always replied with a definite “yes”!"

Marjorie was also a supporter of local events and was often seen at the Pontefract Liquorice Festival selling liquorice bread and buns which also went down well with her customers.

She was also a Patron of the Castleford Male Voice Choir where she followed her husband’s passion for singing at home and abroad. She also attended her local church of Hightown.

Her legendary garden parties at her home on Aketon Road were always well attended by the other parishioners and the Male Voice Choir and her home made scones, buns and cakes were sold from the living room table.

She, alongside her family, raised hundreds, if not thousands, over the years for charity.

John said: "I’m sure she will be sadly missed by many in the Five Town’s district as she was a very popular and well loved character who would always go out of her way to help others, which in this day and age is sadly quite rare."Marjorie's funeral will take place at All Saints, Hightown Church, Castleford on October 20 at 1.30pm followed by a small family cremation at 3pm at Pontefract Crematorium.