GI bride Jill Frabizzio may have lived most of her life 4,000 miles away across the Atlantic but her love for her hometown never faded.

Mrs Frabizzio nee Clarke died suddenly at the beginning of March at the age of 80.

She was brought up in Swindon but, after a whirlwind romance with American soldier Frankie Frabizzio, moved with him to Connecticut, in the United States.

Her father, William Clarke, had several shops along Devizes Road, in Old Town.

Among those was a fresh fish outlet and fish and chip shop in which Jill would help out.

It was through the shop that she met Frankie, who was serving in the American Army as a medic at a base between Chiseldon and the Ogbournes.

He would regularly visit the town on weekends and take Jill dancing in the Bradford Hall, in Old Town,

In 1945 they married at Christ Church in Old Town.

Then Frankie went home to pave their way for Jill, who arrived in New York later that year.

Jill's nephew, Jeff Jefferies, 54, from Nythe, one of two family members still in Swindon said: "She was a wonderful women who adored her family.

"She would tell us many stories, of life over there but she hated the crossing over to America with many other GI brides.

"The first couple of years over there were hard for her and she did get homesick but I think after a while she saw the advantages and the quality of life was far better over there too."

The couple moved to Fairfield, Connecticut, where they brought up son Tommy, and daughter Lorraine and Frankie began work for plastics company DuPont.

Unfortunately Tommy, who also served in the Vietnam War, died 16 years ago as a result of colon cancer, believed to be caused by the defoliant used by the Americans during the conflict.

During Jill's time in the States, home still called to her. Jeff's wife Maureen said: "She really used to miss English food you cannot get over there.

"Every time she came back for a visit she would have to have lardy cake, while Frankie could not resist Daddy's Brown Sauce. He would take several bottles back with him.

"Once, when we went to visit them, we managed to sneak a lardy cake through customs for her. She really loved that."

Frankie died four years ago and her daughter Lorraine moved into the family home to care for Jill.

"I think we will remember her for the love of family and her love for her real home in Swindon and all things English which she always wanted to retain," said Maureen.

Jill died following a heart attack brought on by a bout of pneumonia on Monday, March 1 at the Bridge-port Medical Centre.

A service was held at a funeral home in Fairfield followed by burial at St Thomas Aquinas Church in the town.

Anthony Osborne