Mimi Smith facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Mimi Smith
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| Born |
Mary Elizabeth Stanley
24 April 1906 Liverpool, England
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| Died | 6 December 1991 (aged 85) Poole, England
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| Occupation | Nurse, secretary, housewife |
| Spouse(s) |
George Smith
(m. 1939; |
| Relatives | Julia Lennon (sister) John Lennon (nephew) Julia Baird (niece) |
Mary Elizabeth "Mimi" Smith (born Stanley; April 24, 1906 – December 6, 1991) was the aunt and guardian of the famous English musician John Lennon. She was born in Toxteth, Liverpool, England, and was the oldest of five sisters. Mimi trained as a nurse and later worked as a private secretary.
On September 15, 1939, she married George Toogood Smith. He ran his family's dairy farm and a shop in Woolton, a part of Liverpool.
After her younger sister Julia Lennon separated from her husband, Julia and her young son, John Lennon, moved in with a new partner. Mimi was concerned about John's living situation. She convinced Julia to let her and George care for John. John lived with the Smiths for most of his childhood. He stayed very close to his aunt, even though she often didn't approve of his music, his girlfriends, or his wives. She famously told the teenage John: "The guitar's all right, John, but you'll never make a living out of it."
In 1965, John bought her a house in Poole, Dorset. She lived there until she passed away in 1991. John kept in touch with Mimi every week by phone until his own death in 1980. The Smiths' house in Liverpool was later given to The National Trust.
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Mimi's Family Background
Mimi's family, the Stanleys, came to Liverpool in the 1870s. Her father, George Ernest Stanley, was born in Liverpool in 1874. Her mother, Annie Jane Millward, was born in Chester in 1873. George and Annie married in 1906. George was a merchant seaman, meaning he often traveled by sea.
Mimi was their first daughter, born before her parents married. She had four younger sisters: Elizabeth, Annie, Julia, and Harriet. After his daughters were born, George stopped going to sea. He got a job as an insurance investigator. He moved his family to a small house at 9 Newcastle Road in Liverpool.
Mimi took on a big role in the family, helping her mother. She was known for being very proper and believed strongly in honesty. Friends of John Lennon said Mimi saw things as either right or wrong. When her mother, Annie, died in 1941, Mimi took care of her father with help from Julia.
Mimi was very independent and didn't want to get married at first. She worked as a nurse and then as a private secretary. She dreamed of buying a house in a nice part of Liverpool to host important people.
Marriage and 'Mendips' Home
In 1932, Mimi met George Toogood Smith. He delivered milk to the hospital where she worked. George and his brother ran a dairy farm and shop in Woolton. George started trying to date Mimi, but she wasn't very interested at first, and her father also made it difficult.
Their courtship lasted almost seven years. George eventually told her she had to marry him or nothing would happen. Mimi and George finally married on September 15, 1939. They bought a house called Mendips at 251 Menlove Avenue in Liverpool. The house was named after the Mendip Hills.
During World War II, their farmland was used for war efforts. George was called to serve but was later discharged. He then worked in an aircraft factory. After the war, George left the milk business and started a small bookmaking business. Mimi sometimes worried that he gambled too much.
John Lennon's Childhood
Mimi's sister Julia had a son, John, on October 9, 1940. Mimi went to the hospital right away, even during an air raid, to see her new nephew. However, records show there was no air raid that night.
After Julia separated from her husband, she and John lived with her new partner. Mimi was worried about John's living situation. She talked to Social Services, and Julia eventually agreed to let Mimi and George raise John. Mimi later said that even though she never wanted children, she had "always wanted John."
John lived at Mendips in the smallest bedroom. Mimi was a caring guardian but also very strict. George, however, was more relaxed. Friends said Mimi was stubborn and impatient but also had a great sense of humor. When she criticized John, he would often make a joke, and they would both laugh.
Mimi bought John many storybooks. George taught him to read at age five by reading newspaper headlines. Every summer, John would travel alone by bus to visit his Aunt Elizabeth in Scotland. Mimi also took John to a garden party every year where a Salvation Army band played. This place, Strawberry Field, later inspired a famous Beatles song.
The Smiths rented out two upstairs bedrooms to students for extra money. One student, John Cavill, bought a guitar and played tunes on it. John Lennon copied him, learning to play the guitar this way.
George Smith passed away in June 1955. Three years later, Julia was hit by a car and died on Menlove Avenue. Mimi was very upset and cried over Julia's body. The police officer driving the car was not charged, which made Mimi very angry.
After John Lennon became famous, Mimi sometimes scolded him for speaking with a strong Liverpool accent. But John told her it was part of his show business image. John later said that he was a "nice clean-cut suburban boy" and that his home at Mendips was a bit higher class than where the other Beatles lived.
John Lennon and Music
Mimi later said she bought John's first guitar, but it was actually his mother, Julia, who did. Julia made sure the guitar was delivered to her house, not Mimi's. Mimi and Julia first saw John perform with his band, the Quarrymen, at a church fair on July 6, 1957. John saw Mimi in the crowd and jokingly changed the words of a song to include her name. Mimi had mixed feelings about seeing him on stage; she was both "horrified" and "pleased as Punch."
Mimi wanted John to get academic qualifications. With her help, he was accepted into the Liverpool College of Art. She didn't like the idea of him forming a band. She also didn't approve of Paul McCartney because he was "working class." When she met George Harrison, she disliked him because of his strong accent and "Teddy Boy" clothes.
John and Paul often met at Mendips to write songs. They practiced in the glass porch at the front of the house, the only place they were allowed to play. Mimi once went to The Cavern club to see the Beatles play. But when she saw the screaming teenagers, she shouted, "Get him out! Tell him to come off the stage! He can't stay here!" She was also upset when the band went to play in Hamburg, as she wanted John to continue his studies.
Mimi often told John, "The guitar's all right, John, but you'll never make a living out of it." In later years, John would joke about this comment. He even had a silver plaque made with her words on it.
John Lennon's Relationships
Mimi often had strong opinions about John's girlfriends and wives.
She was not kind to Cynthia, John's first wife. When Cynthia became pregnant and John decided to marry her, Mimi tried to stop him. She even threatened not to speak to him again. John and Cynthia married on August 23, 1962, but Mimi did not attend. She also advised other family members not to go.
Years later, Mimi and Cynthia met again at a funeral. Mimi criticized Cynthia for divorcing John and for letting him start a relationship with Yoko Ono. However, Mimi later admitted that Yoko was a good wife and mother. After John's death, Yoko and their son, Sean Lennon, visited Mimi. Mimi said Sean was very much like John, with his looks, manners, and sense of humor.
Yoko Ono later bought 'Mendips' and gave it to The National Trust. The house was restored to look like it did in the 1950s when John lived there.
Later Years and Death
Mimi had relatives in New Zealand. John arranged a tour of New Zealand for The Beatles in 1964, partly so Mimi could connect with her family there.
The Beatles' success brought problems for Mimi. Fans often bothered her at 'Mendips'. So, in 1965, she sold the house. John then bought her a new house by the beach in Sandbanks, Poole, Dorset. This house, called Harbour's Edge, was her home for the rest of her life. John, Cynthia, and their son visited her there in 1965. This was the last time they all visited together.
John gave Mimi an allowance each week. He also gave her his MBE medal, but later asked for it back to return it in protest.
John moved to New York in 1971 and never returned to England. Even though he lost touch with other family members, he called Mimi every week. In an interview, Mimi said she spoke with John the night before he was murdered. He told her he missed England and planned to visit. After John's death, Mimi was upset to learn that he had never officially given her ownership of the house. This meant Yoko Ono owned it.
Mimi passed away on December 6, 1991, at age 85. She was being cared for at home. Her last words were reportedly, "Hello, John."
Mimi was the oldest of the Stanley sisters but the last to die. Cynthia, Sean, and Yoko attended her funeral on December 12, 1991. Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr all sent flowers. Despite their past disagreements, Cynthia cried throughout the funeral. Mimi was cremated, and her ashes' location is unknown. Yoko Ono put Mimi's house up for sale on the same day as the cremation. The house was torn down in 1994, and a new house was built there, now called 'Imagine'.
Portrayals in Film
Mimi Smith has been shown in several films:
- Birth of the Beatles (1979)
- John and Yoko: A Love Story (1985)
- In His Life: The John Lennon Story (2000)
- By Kristin Scott Thomas in Nowhere Boy (2009)
