Mrs Trotter (nee Boyce) was the last surviving child of William Burnham Boyce, long-time owner and editor of the Times until October 1951.

Her grandfather was Thomas Boyce, who bought the Times from his brother Charles, the paper's founder in 1886 – 17 years after it began in 1869.

Several generations of the Boyce family continued their involvement in the Times for almost a century, from its first edition on January 8 1869 until co-owners Mr TRB ('Dick') Boyce and Charles Morgan floated it as a public company in 1961-62.

Mrs Trotter herself played a major role on the paper's staff for many years, combining the duties of editorial assistant, receptionist, telephonist and administration assistant.

Mrs Trotter died at Karingal Gardens, Taree on Monday afternoon, aged 93.

She had lived at Glenthorne for many years and spent time in Manning Hospital recently after a fall.

She was raised in the well known Boyce family home 'Burnham' in Albert Street, Taree, which is now headquarters of the legal firm Paton Hooke.

A talented tennis player and pianist, she and her sister Thora began a children's choir in Taree in their younger days, giving recitals to 'ladies afternoons'.

As members of a staunch Methodist Church family, they both also taught Sunday School at the then Methodist (now Uniting) Church near their home in Albert Street. Their father was the Sunday School superintendent.

Mrs Trotter is survived by her son Ed, a pastor who works in Bali.

No funeral arrangements had been announced as this edition went to press.