Obituary

The widely known Sadie Chandley, who founded the Manchester-based oven manufacturer Tom Chandley with her husband Tom, has died aged 97.

She took an active interest in the business until very recently and celebrated its 50th anniversary in 1994. Sadie and Tom set up the business in April 1944 with a workforce of six.

After Tom’s death in 1968, Sadie carried on running the business and was the driving force behind its growth.

Managing director Eric Dyson said: “Mrs Chandley was a remarkable lady with a drive and enthusiasm matched by a thoughtfulness and care for every one of her employees. With her husband Tom they were a formidable team that took all the challenges of building a business head on, an attitude that Mrs Chandley continued after Tom’s death. She will be sadly missed by us all.”