Popular Maidenhead delivery driver of 18 years remembered as ‘such a fun person’

The family of a well-known delivery driver in Cox Green have paid tribute to a ‘fun’ mother who put her four children ‘above anything and everything’.

Caroline Lee was diagnosed with cancer on August 5 and passed away on October 3 at the age of 50.

Born in Essex on June 26, 1975, most of Caroline’s life was spent in Maidenhead, and she worked as a driver for the courier service Evri for 18 years.

“Her customers were literally everything to her,” Jessica Pocock, Caroline's second-eldest daughter, told the Advertiser.

“She was always close with all her customers, she had a five-star rating, and she was very happy about that.

“They weren’t really customers to her; they were friends and family.”

Caroline became a delivery driver after her youngest son was born, and rather than putting him into nursery full-time, decided she could spend time with him in the car while working.

She would ‘go out of her way’ to help customers, such as keeping their parcels at home if they were away and texting them her address to collect at their convenience.

Many of these customers attended her funeral at Easthampstead Park Crematorium and her wake at the sports bar in Summerleaze Park on October 16 – dressed in yellow, purple or blue at Caroline’s request.

Jessica said she once covered for her mum and found it ‘hard to be motivated’ when there was no deadline to be out delivering packages in Cox Green and Littlewick Green.

“I said to her, ‘I don’t know how you get up and go,’ but I think seeing her customers motivated her. Her work was an opportunity to see people,” said the 25-year-old.

When Caroline developed ovarian cancer two years ago, she refused to take the recommended six weeks of leave after undergoing surgery and returned after only a fortnight.

“She said, ‘No, I can’t do that, my customers need me’, much to all of us telling her not to, but her customers didn’t like the person covering her, and she said, ‘I’ve got to go back’,” Jessica said.

“I think it was just seeing everybody every day and making those relationships with people.”

Another of Caroline’s children, Hollie Griffin, launched a GoFundMe shortly after Caroline was diagnosed this year to ‘make memories in her last few months’ and contribute to funeral costs.

Caroline saw the fundraiser reach more than £5,500 before she passed away and was ‘incredibly shocked’ by the community support.

“She was very much a person who didn’t think people would care – she said she would be fine with £10. She was so happy,” said Jessica.

“Before she passed, she said a big thank you to everybody who donated. It’s really helped us.

“It was amazing because we didn’t get to do much because she was so ill in the hospice, but it meant we could give her the funeral she wanted. It would have been such a struggle otherwise.”

Caroline made the funeral arrangements ‘exactly how she wanted’, including minimal flowers because she was a ‘practical lady’, with her work friends acting as celebrants.

Jessica described her mum as someone who was ‘always up for literally anything’ and ‘such a fun person’.

“She loved going out with us. She just loved spending time with the family,” she added.

“At her funeral, her work friends were telling us it was ‘My kids this, my kids that’. She was always there for us, emotionally and physically.

“She did go out of her way for everybody. We were her everything.”