A much-loved Lions member, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother to players past and present died last week on November 16.

Grandson Chris Barrett played more than 300 games for the orange and green and said Wilma was like a mother to him.

"I moved in with her and grandad when I was 12 and I didn't move out until I was 26," he said.

"She followed my football the whole way through and obviously did the same in the earlier days with my dad and my two uncles.

"They were there when they started Orange City, it was pretty much the Barretts and the Blunts that kicked it all off."

Most recently she even got the chance to see her great-grandsons Toby, Charlie, Ollie, Oscar and Freddie all representing the orange and green.

"I don't know too much about the early days, but from what I can gather from a few stories that my dad told, they used to always hold the Orange City parties round at their house," Barrett said on his grandmother's influence within the club.

"The last couple of years she hasn't been around that much because she has been quite ill, but everyone at the club knows her, especially when we won in 2012 and 2013, she knitted my whole team Orange City beanies with pom poms. All the boys loved her."

She worked at Angus and Coote as well Mid-State Jewellers. In the later years she would look after anyone and everyone.

"She'd always be there for lunch or she'd have it ready for you to go to work," Chris added.

"She was just loving and caring. Just someone that everyone loved. I've got messages throughout the week from people I didn't even know who used to call in and see her from time to time.

"Years ago before I was born, a lot of people said she used to look after everybody like they were one of her own. She always provided food for people or a bed if they had nowhere to stay."

Wilma Barrett died aged 89.

Her funeral will be held on Tuesday, November 23, commencing at 2pm at Holy Trinity Anglican Church.

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