OBITUARIES
Former Classics Teacher Stella Martin Popular former LEH teacher Stella Martin passed away in November aged 93 and is remembered fondly by all who knew her. She taught Classics at LEH for some 20 years, until her retirement in 1991. One of her former pupils Louisa Greenacre (Hartley), Class of 1989, has paid tribute, saying: “I was fortunate to have her as one of my Latin A level teachers at the end of the 80s, and then to know her later in life when she was a good neighbour and friend to my mother. Stella remained as sparkly and chatty as ever and would always ask for news of my LEH contemporaries. “Stella’s lessons were rather jolly. She was always ready for a good chat, and her enthusiasm for the literature was impossible to resist. I remember her making quite sure that we’d all understood exactly what unlucky Dido and Aeneas got up to in that cave, and we had many lively discussions about Catullus and his friends and lovers. Perfect material for an LEH Sixth Form, explored with romance and
laughter while still drilling into us the technical requirements of proper translation.” Stella enjoyed her long retirement and retained her love of languages. She took French and Italian classes and had recently started on German. Former colleague Ruth Iredale says: “Her strength as a teacher was based on her genuine love of Latin; she enjoyed the logic and precision of the language as well as its literature. She could cover the syllabus efficiently while keeping classes engaged. A younger pupil once said to me “Oh we loved having Mrs Martin. She told us things like how the Romans blew their noses” (on the edge of their togas, apparently!) What she enjoyed most was teaching literature, especially Latin poetry, finding the right word for a translation, teasing out meaning, and was always ready for the students to give her new insights. “I loved working with Stella. She was
a brilliant presence, with sparkling, entertaining conversation, and some riveting stories. Under the sparkle was a deep interest in people, a strong sense of right and wrong, and great warmth and kindness. She has been a dear friend for nearly 50 years, and I shall miss her very much.”
Mary Cordle (Ryan) 1949-2021 Mary Cordle, Class of 1967, passed away last year aged 72. She was a pupil at LEH from the age of eight to 18, very much enjoying her school days, before training as a speech and language therapist. Her first job was at the White Lodge Centre for children with cerebral palsy. She found it so rewarding that she dedicated her career to working with very disabled babies and young children, helping mainly with feeding and communication skills. She was married to husband Malcolm for 43 years and had three
Teamwork issue
46
Holles C nnect
children. Malcolm says: “Mary had such a lovely, gentle and kind nature and was a very godly character. There was a cheerfulness, a warmth and an attractive personality which I found very winsome, and which touched many folks.” Mary enjoyed entertaining and excelled at home-baking and sewing, often making the children’s clothes when they were younger. A keen traveller, she was an excellent swimmer and loved reading, word games and crafts.
