Monica Phelps (née Denison-Smith) was born in Maidenhead in the UK on 25th September 1913. Her father had been a tea planter in Assam, but he became ill when on leave and the family never returned to India. After going to Wycombe Abbey School she did domestic and secretarial courses. The family lived in Bournemouth and it was there that Monica read a leaflet in her letter box and went to a meeting in the Town Hall organised by the Oxford Group. She was completely gripped by it. This led to her making a commitment to God and she ended up working with The Oxford Group, now Initiatives of Change, all her life, except for a brief period during the war when she worked in Fleet Street. Her skills as a top private secretary were much in demand.
Monica married Peter Phelps in 1945 and they had three children. They finally settled in Portsmouth. She was a wonderful homemaker and generous hostess. They also travelled to many countries with MRA campaigns, including Holland, Australia, New Zealand, India, Papua New Guinea and Japan.
Monica died in London in 2004.
