Elizabeth Locke Nee Whittaker (OH 1972-1974)
Wednesday 19 December 2018
It is with great sadness that the School and the OH Club have to announce the death of Elizabeth Locke nee Whittaker OH (1972-1974) and former Head of Religious Studies.The funeral will take place at 1100 on Friday 28th December at St Mary's Church in Almeley and the School has been informed that her husband Simon, and children Cassidy and Henry, both OH, extend an invitation to all who would like to attend. They ask that if you are going to attend you email [email protected] by 26th December, so they might know OH numbers for catering.The following is from St Mary's Church website:St. Mary’s Church, Church Terrace, Almeley, Herefordshire, HR3 6LBParking: As we are in a farming community there are often wide farming vehicles that need to travel along the village roads. We ask, therefore, that you park considerately, especially on the road leading from the church to the old railway bridge. There are some areas not far from the church where parking is easier, and we ask that you use these if possible, and have a slightly longer walk to the service. There is a map here which shows areas for parking, areas where there is no parking because the street is too narrow or is needed for large vehicles such as buses and tractors to turn, and residential streets where there is some parking, but please give consideration to the house owners’ access. Parking at The Bells Inn is by permission of the Landlord, Jason, 01544327216, ([email protected])
Elizabeth died on 15 December 2018 at the age of 61.She was born in Longden Rectory on 23 June 1957. Her father was James Whittaker, a vicar, and her mother was Janie Whittaker, a Classics teacher. Elizabeth, also known as Toppy, was the third of four siblings, Kate, Mark and Andrew. As a baby she lay in her father’s study while he worked and it was a family story that she did not speak at all until she was five, but then in perfect sentences. Elizabeth went to the Bluecoat School in Birmingham and then to Shrewsbury High School, before the family moved to Almeley, Herefordshire. James was the vicar of Almeley Church where Elizabeth played the organ for church services. All four children were responsible for singing loudly to encourage the rest of the congregation during hymns. Elizabeth became one of the first girls to attend Hereford Cathedral School, alongside her sister Kate. She sat the entrance exam for Oxford and gained a place at Brasenose College, after spending time learning Italian in Perugia and travelling in Greece with her father and brother Mark. Elizabeth gained her degree in Theology and travelled in the Middle East before taking up her first teaching position at Pocklington in Yorkshire. She then worked in Malvern Girls College for twelve years. Whilst living in Ledbury, Elizabeth advertised for a lodger. This was how she met Simon. He replied to the advert and moved in. The pair married in 1994, in the Market House in Ledbury. Elizabeth and Simon had their daughter Cassidy in 1995 and their son Henry in 1997. Elizabeth was the most fantastic mother, and the children remember her reading bedtime stories and playing duets with them on the piano. The family loved to go camping at the Gower every summer and went on walking holidays in the Dolomites in Italy.By this time, Elizabeth was teaching at Hereford Cathedral School, becoming Head of Religious Studies. Her pupils absolutely adored her. Her classroom was full of plants, homemade curtains and an old church pew, and pupils will remember lively philosophical debates over cups of tea and jelly bean meditations.In September 2015, Elizabeth was diagnosed with a sarcoma tumour in her right leg. Despite this, Elizabeth was determined to enjoy life to the full. She retired from teaching, and her days were full of gardening, sewing projects and swimming. She studied poetry and Italian courses at the Open University. The cancer returned however, and this time Elizabeth faced an enormous change; the amputation of her right leg, hip and pelvis. She faced this with the utmost bravery and positivity, looking forward to a life without cancer, and determined that she would walk and do everything she had done before. She adapted to life with one leg as only she was able; with complete serenity. She was not at all daunted by climbing down a steep bank to swim in the River Wye, nor by climbing mountains in the Italian Dolomites. Throughout her life, travelling was her passion; in the last summer of her life, she and Simon embarked on a road trip around Europe, spending two months in France, Germany, Austria and Italy. Elizabeth always travelled joyfully, with curiosity and enthusiasm.However, the cancer once again returned, this time in the base of her spine. Over the autumn of 2018, Elizabeth spent time in St Michael’s Hospice, Bartestree, before returning home until her death. Her funeral was held at Almeley Church, where she is now buried next to her parents. Cassidy Locke