Mary Bridget Aiken (also known as Moya or Minnie) was born in Napier in 1893, the first of six children born to James Francis O’Donnell and Margaret Josephine (McNamara), who were married in Gisborne on 4 February 1893.
James was born in Ireland near Castlegregory on the Dingle Peninsula in Co. Kerry and arrived in New Zealand with his parents at age seven. They settled in Matawhero, Gisborne. Margaret Josephine was reputedly born in Melbourne and was also of Irish descent.
The family moved back to Matawhero from Napier in 1894, then moved to Auckland in 1896 and shortly after went to Karangahake, where James took up mining. They returned to Gisborne in 1902 and remained there.
Mary Bridget was working in various hotels in Gisborne when she met Robert James Aiken, also a hotel worker. They were married in Gisborne on 2 January 1920 at St Mary’s Roman Catholic church and had two children: Arthur in 1924 and Jacqueline in 1929.
Around 1942, Robert (Bertie) left his family to live in Wellington.
Eventually, Mary Bridget also went to Wellington in the late 40s with her daughter and was employed at the Midlands Hotel for some time. She died on 12 June 1956 of cancer.
She was survived by her son Arthur, daughter Jacqueline, and four of her five siblings: Cecilia Eileen, Phyllis Anastasia, James (Jim), and Margaret Winifred (Lorna).
PLOT LAWN/J/70
By Paula McCool
