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Queen Elizabeth II’s death on Thursday left a mark not only on her own country but many others as well.

Martinsville has one major connection historically with the Queen of England, but it took place in 1957 at then-Governor Thomas B. Stanley’s mansion in Richmond, Bassett Historical Center Director Fran Snead said. The queen had come for the celebration of the 350th anniversary of the founding of Jamestown.

Though the queen never made it to Martinsville, a sized-down set of Stanley furniture in the tan bark pattern was sent back to England for Princess Anne.

Only six sets of that miniature furniture were made. Apart from the set for the queen, three went to the governor’s children, one to the superintendent of Stanley Furniture and the last to the plant manager. A couple of pieces are on display at the Bassett Historical Center.

John Parkinson, CEO of Drake Extrusion which is based in Martinsville, is from the United Kingdom, which includes England. He said that after hearing the new he is “saddened and shocked.”

“It’s sometimes hard to gather your thoughts together in situations like this … For me personally and for a lot of the people in the UK, they’ve never known anyone else other than Queen Elizabeth as the Head of State,” he said.

“It’s really something you think about but never ever think will happen,” Parkinson said. “Because of the length of time that she was queen, we’ve see so many changes. But 70 years as head of state, she’s carried out that role with such grace and dignity. I don’t believe we’ll ever see a leader like that again anywhere in time.”

He remembers attending the Diamond Jubilee when he was younger and that everyone was so excited to see the queen walking down the street “maybe 20, 30 yards in front of you.”

With the death of the queen, “you don’t always understand how patriotic you are about your nation until something happens like this,” he said.

Janet Ashby, a native of England who now lives just outside Martinsville, wrote by email that though she hasn’t lived there since 1982, she is still “very much a royalist.”

“The queen has been on the throne all my life … I will always remember her having tea with Paddington Bear,” she said.

She added that one of her close friends “has a lot of contact with the royal family” said that “Charles and Camilla are really nice people,” so she is fully confident that “our royal heritage will carry on.” She doesn’t think that the queen’s son, Charles, will step down for his son William to be king because “like the queen, he puts duty first.”

“The queen is dead. Long live the king,” Ashby added.

Byron Corcoran was in a joint band with the United States Army Band and Chorus with the great military musical organizations of the United Kingdom in 1976, he said. Corcoran said that the queen was present at one of the performances in Fairfax County and he, and the rest of the chorus, lined up and were able to meet her.

Corcoran said that when he woke up to the news of the queen being overseen by the doctor, he knew that it was serious.

Susan Fleenor wrote in response to a Bulletin inquiry over Facebook that she is “saddened by the news” and that Queen Elizabeth was a “force of nature.” She added that she “had nothing by admiration for her” and “can’t imagine England without a queen.”

Truman Adkins responded that he will always “go back to” the declaration she made when she was 21 that “her whole life, be it long or short, would be to their [England’s] service.” He said that though she had privilege, “she rose to the occasion” and “steadfastly moved forward, decade upon decade, and gave us continuity.”

“Nothing is permanent, but continuity is the world is a blessing,” Adkins added.

Rhonda Mills commented on the Bulletin’s Facebook inquiry that she “can’t imagine a king now” and that she feels “proud that a female ruled for 70 years” during her lifetime.

Linda Crabtree commented that Elizabeth’s time as queen was “truly a testament for her love of her country and the British people” and that she “truly dedicated her life to the service of her country beginning as an ambulance driver during the war and ending 70 years later as the longest serving monarch in history.”

Kris Landrum, who lived in England from 1968 to 1974, commented that while she was only a teenager at the time, she recalls “noticing how the queen and her family were part of the very fabric of the lives of everyone in England, from commoners to royalty.

“She has been the public image of that country for so very long. It’s going to be a very interesting ride for Britons,” Landrum also said.

Monique Holland is a reporter for the Martinsville Bulletin. She can be reached at monique.holland@martinsvillebulletin.com or at 276-734-9603.

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