Mrs Eugenie Louise Sassoon, widow of the late Mr Arthur Sassoon, C.V.O., died last Sabbath at Maryfield, Taplow, in her 90th year.
Mrs Sassoon was President of the Butler Street Girls' Club for about 30 years. She was formerly head of the Albert Gate Branch of the Officers' Families Association and in recognition of her services to the Association, particularly during the last war, she was given the C.B.E., being the first Jewish woman to receive this distinction.
Miss Nettie Adler, C.B.E. in the course of a tribute writes:
By the death of Mrs Arthur Sassoon, Butler Street Club has lost a beloved President and a devoted friend. Her interest in the welfare iof the members and her untiring co-operation with the managers enabled the institution to weather the difficulties of two wars. Until advancing years compelled her to leave London, she frequently visited the Club in the evening, saw the classes at work, talked to the members, and gave wise counsel to the managers. Her unfailing generosity enabled the Club to obtain many amenities, but not only did she give generously herself, but she urged others to give too. For many years she lent her house for an annual dance.
Mrs Sassoon will be remembered by many as a brilliant hostess who played a great part in British social life during the reigns of King Edward VII and King George V. She was a friend of both sovereigns and of their queens, but she never lost the common touch and her saving sense of humour enabled her to appreciate all sides of humanity and to understand the needs of the working-girl as well as those of the more happily placed Club helper.