A tireless volunteer who dedicated herself to community groups in Bermuda has died at the age of 95.

Barbara Gorham, better known as Lady Gorham, passed away on May 25 at a retirement home in Connecticut, in the United States.

Mrs Gorham was born on April 11, 1920, in Jersey City, New Jersey.

In 1948 she married Sir Richard Gorham and moved to Bermuda, where she lived for the next 60 years.

During her time on the Island she volunteered for the King Edward VII Memorial Hospital with the Hospitals Auxiliary of Bermuda for more than 40 years.

She also made significant contributions to the English Speaking Union, the Bermuda Girl Guides and the Bermuda Philharmonic.

Her son, Anthony Gorham, said: “That was her way of giving back to the community.

“It got her out and involved in the world and she enjoyed making that contribution and making Bermuda a better place.

“A lot of members of her generation did the same.”

Leaders of Bermuda’s Girl Guides paid tribute to the contribution she made to the organisation.

Former commissioner Florenz Maxwell said: “She was part of the council for the Bermuda Girl Guides for a long time.

“She was always a very active member and very supportive of all of the activities financially as well as through her presence.

“I always found her very approachable and a good source of advice. She made a significant contribution in Bermuda.”

Mrs Gorham attended the Dwight School in New Jersey and the Ethel Walker School in Simsbury, Connecticut. She then worked with the New York Junior League in New York City.

Former Bermuda Girl Guide commissioner, Joan Wilkie, told The Royal Gazette: “She was a valuable member of the Girl Guides Association.

“She was the Brownie leader in the First Pembroke Pack and for many years she took the Brownies for holidays in Somerset that were very successful.

“Mrs Gorham ran a very efficient pack and helped at a great many Brownie events.”

Denise Giles-Woodhouse, the immediate past Island commissioner of the Girl Guides, added: “Lady Gorham and Sir Richard did so much for the Girl Guides.

“They attended every meeting and would have the girls up to their house all the time.

“They did a great deal behind the scenes but were also very hands-on and were very generous with their time and expertise.”

Mrs Gorham’s family will be holding a memorial service in Bermuda over the Columbus Day weekend next autumn that will celebrate her life.