The mother of Mayor Greg Brownless has passed away today at the Bob Owens Retirement Village.

Margaret Brownless will be fondly remembered by the mayor, particularly for the pride she took in his victory in last year's election.

Greg says during his campaign she was supportive, but – like all good mothers – always cautioned him not to get his hopes up.

'She was always warning me: be prepared, Greg, don't be too upset if you don't win,” he says.

'But when I became mayor she started saying she was ‘MOM' – Mother of the Mayor.”

Understandably, the news came as ‘a bit of a shock', in the mayor's words, although he knew it was to be expected at some point.

'I last saw her on Saturday, and you wouldn't have thought she would pass away on Monday. But we knew it was coming, because she'd had a few little heart problems. In the end it was quite quick.

'It's just in the last couple years she was having trouble with her mobility, but she was sharp and bright and had a great sense of humour right up until the end. She was also very pragmatic and I think she knew things were coming to a close.

'She told us not to be sad, but that's easier said than done.”

He says she always tried to have fun with the staff at the rest home, and could see the humour in most situations.

She always kept up with the funeral notices, too.

'Mum had her iPad set up for the SunLive death notices. She learnt to use an iPad two years ago, and it was great for keeping contact with family and the news she otherwise wouldn't have had,” recalls Greg.

Born in Ireland, Margaret moved to New Zealand at a young age.

'Like many of her generation, she didn't have an education as such, but she was self-taught. She was a pianist, and did all the handcrafts.”

She is survived by Greg and her other son Derek, who lives in Brisbane.