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Obituaries
Hong KongSociety

Lady MacLehose, widow of Hong Kong’s longest-serving governor, dies aged 99

  • She played active role in serving the community when her husband Murray MacLehose was governor for most of the 1970s and beyond
  • Carrie Lam expresses sadness at her death, saying she cared for Hongkongers

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Lady MacLehose, pictured visiting a centre in her name in Pokfulam Reservoir Road in 1979, has passed away. Photo: P. Y. Tang
Zoe Low

Lady Margaret Noel MacLehose, who was married to a Hong Kong governor and whose name still adorns some of the city’s best-loved facilities, has died aged 99.

The former Community Chest chairwoman was the wife of Murray MacLehose, one of the city’s most popular British governors who passed away in 2000 aged 82.

Her funeral was set for February 26 and the cremation ceremony was to be a private affair, according to announcements in the Scottish media.

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Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor offered her condolences in a government statement on Friday following the death on Sunday. “Lady MacLehose took an active part in public and community service during her stay in Hong Kong, showing care for people in the community,” the statement said.

“I am saddened by the passing of Lady MacLehose. On behalf of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government, I would like to extend my deepest condolences to her family.”

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Lady Margaret Noel MacLehose pictured with her husband Murray before he took up the governorship in Hong Kong. Photo: SCMP
Lady Margaret Noel MacLehose pictured with her husband Murray before he took up the governorship in Hong Kong. Photo: SCMP

Lady MacLehose was the chairwoman of the not-for-profit organisation Community Chest, which raises money on behalf of 160 member agencies in Hong Kong, between 1971 and 1976.

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