The funeral of a popular teacher who taught hundreds of Ruddington schoolchildren during her 22 year career is taking place this Friday.
Heather Hawthorn (pictured above with husband Don) taught at St Peter’s School from 1970 until her retirement in 1992. Sadly she lost her battle with pancreatic cancer last month when it infected her liver. She was 81.
Mrs Hawthorn was well known for playing many musical instruments – teaching both children and adults the guitar – and she coached the school football team to win the league. Out of school she could often be heard and seen playing the accordion at village events, such as at The Framework Knitters’ Museum. She also ran The Heather Mixture Band (at weddings and events), played the accordion for Morris Dancers (Jaquard Morris, a Nottingham ladies team in the 1980s) and the Nottingham Galloway Dancers (a Scottish dance team that played in France, Belgium, Czechoslovakia – when under communist control – and in Karlsruhe). She was also something of a wine expert and once served as Chair of Ruddington Wine Club.
Heather leaves behind her husband Donald, two sons and four grandchildren – not forgetting around 600 ex-pupils now aged between 30 and 60. Don told RUDDINGTON.info: “After retiring from teaching she spent a lot of time entertaining ‘old people’ (many younger than herself) in Clubs, Societies and old people’s Homes. She travelled beyond Retford, Alfreton and Leicester and had over a hundred such homes listed on her computer. So she was known by thousands – and for a year she even had a regular weekly spot on Radio Nottingham!”
For any ex-pupils or friends who wish to go along and pay their respects, Heather’s cremation will take place at Wilford Hill Crematorium at 11.20am this Friday, the 6th April. Rather than flowers, donations are being welcomed for Cancer Research UK please – on the day or via JustGiving.
