Generations of schoolchildren from the Eynsham area – and their parents - will mourn the passing of Margaret Gunstone, who died on 3 February 2012 at the age of 86. The photo above was taken on 25/12 2011.
Roger Brookin recalled: ‘She was for many years secretary at Bartholomew School, and I worked closely with her during my time as head teacher from 1975 to 1984. I came to admire her enormously. We were good friends and have maintained close contact ever since.
‘Margaret was incredibly well organised and hardworking, dealing with the school's finances as well as day-to-day administration. Her contribution to the school and the wider community was invaluable. More to the point, she was also immensely kind and generous, and many former parents and ex-pupils will remember her with gratitude and affection.
‘It is not just that she did her job well. She undertook so many other tasks over and above her regular duties - fundraising for the school for example, and acting as secretary for the Adult Education Centre.’
Mrs Gunstone was born at Barrow-in-Furness in 1925, where her father was an engineer in the ship-building industry. The family moved to Johannesburg after the outbreak of the Second World War, when her father answered a call from the South African Government to supervise gun manufacture. There Margaret learned typing and shorthand.
When her father’s health deteriorated, they booked their return passages to England. But the train taking them to the docks was late. The boat they missed was sunk and the family, counting their blessings, returned home aboard a Dutch warship.
While working as a local government secretary back in Barrow, Margaret met another shipping engineer, her future husband Denis Gunstone, and when he took a job at Pressed Steel, Cowley, she followed him south, working first as a secretary at Warneford Hospital, then in Pressed Steel’s Prestcold refrigeration division.
Upon the younger of her two daughters, Elizabeth and Kathleen, reaching secondary school age, she returned to work as part-time assistant to Bartholomew School’s first headmaster, Edwin Stephenson, and his wife ‘Weller’, the then school secretary, among other duties organizing the collection of pupils’ dinner money.
By the time they retired in 1975 and Roger Brookin took over, she was in charge of the school’s day-to-day administration and financial affairs, a role that was recognised in due course by the upgrading of her title to school bursar.
She retired in 1989 during David Clarke’s time as head teacher but continued to serve on the committee of the Adult Education Centre and manage its finances until well into her 70s. Ray Evans, who joined the staff of the school in 1963 and became deputy head to Mr Clarke, recalled:
‘Margaret was always immaculately dressed and equally immaculate in the execution of her duties. It was to her the staff always turned first if they had a problem. She was the fount of all knowledge.’
Among other local organisations, she was a stalwart member of Eynsham Day Centre and Eynsham Theatre Club, travelling regularly to venues up and down the country, latterly in her wheel-chair.
A service of celebration for her life, conducted by her friend, the Rev Michael Farthing, took place on Friday 17 February in St Leonard’s Church, Eynsham, followed by private cremation. At her request members of the congregation wore bright colours, not black. A musical evening in her memory was held at Eynsham Village Hall on 13 October in support of West Oxfordshire MS Society.
In addition to Elizabeth and Kathleen and son-in-law Clive, she leaves two grandsons, Rupert and Dominic. Her husband, Denis, died in 2001.
Thanks to Don Chapman for compiling this obituary with the aid of Margaret’s family and former colleagues..