May Martin, co-founder of one of the Potteries' best known companies, died, aged 85, on 11 June, 2009, after a short illness.

Mrs Martin and her husband Phil started out in business with just £80 to their name in 1948.

But the firm they founded in bomb-devastated Swansea would lead to a chain of six Martins shops in their native Potteries.

The couple's success also inspired their daughters Peggy Martin and Susan Molyneux to set up their own shop – Peggy Sue Cash and Carry.

Peggy, who lived with her mother, said: "It feels like the end of an era. It is just me and Sue left now, and Sue's daughter Rebecca.

"Mum loved talking to the customers. Every customer who went to the till, she would have a natter with them.

"She was still serving in the shop up until the age of 80. She is very well remembered. People always ask about my mother."

One of nine children, Mrs Martin was born May Cooke in 1924, and grew up in Bucknall. Her father died in a mining disaster at Hanley Deep pit in the 1930s.

Mrs Martin and her new husband Phil Martin decided to leave the Potteries in 1948, spotting a business opportunity in Swansea. They used the £80 Mr Martin received on leaving the Army to open up a shop in the Welsh town, selling Stoke-on-Trent china.

Missing home, the couple moved back to Stoke-on-Trent in 1956, following the births of daughters Peggy and Sue, and took over a shop in High Street, Tunstall.

They eventually opened six Martins shops in the Potteries – also in Longton, Hanley, Stoke, Newcastle and Burslem – selling a variety of items, but were especially known for ladies underwear and school uniforms.

In the late 1960s, Peggy Sue Cash and Carry was formed and Mrs Martin continued to help on the tills and served as a director. Peggy Sue closed in 2007. Martins went into administration in the same year and the last shop closed in September.

Mrs Martin was widowed in 1986, when her husband died aged 66, but she continued to lead a full life, helping to deliver Meals on Wheels, taking part in the Victory Flower Club in Woore and watching her beloved Stoke City.

She lived in Ashley for 30 years before moving in with her elder daughter.

Miss Martin said: "My mum had a hard upbringing, but she achieved a lot in her life. She certainly led a very colourful life." Miss Martin's sister, Mrs Molyneux, said: "Mum was very outgoing. She loved to talk to people. She was a fun character.

"She was a big Stoke City fan, and watched them for about 40 years, she went to Wembley three times, including in 1972, when Stoke won the League Cup."