My deepest and most sincere condolences to Mr Charles, Ruth’s children and grandchildren on hearing your very sad loss of your cherished wife, mum and grandmother,
I attended Heathcoat Secondary School in the 70’s and Miss Netherway, as she was known then was by far my favourite teacher. She was kind, explaining everything so wonderfully, she certainly made me curious about all things related to her specialised subject. I always looked forward to Miss Netherways lessons!
I especially loved our little forays to the Salmon Ponds, we were allowed to paddle in the river and investigate all the flora and fauna, a passion which still fires me to this day.
My darling dad, Laurie Ellicott, worked at the Salmon Ponds, regulating the level of the river in order to ensure that the leat was sufficiently full which, in turn, powered some of Heathcoats machinery at the factory. He also enjoyed speaking with Mrs Charles and seeing her conducting the field trips…
I recall the marriage between Mr Mrs Charles and eventually Mrs Charles teaching while she was pregnant (I even recall the black pinafore and pink jumper which she often wore, so a very clear image of Mrs Charles readily comes to mind as I remember those engaging biology lessons…
I seem to remember that Mrs Charles went onto maternity leave about a year before our final year and especially recall her concern at leaving teaching at a time when we would have been coming up for our CSE exams, I must admit that our biology lessons were never quite as captivating once she left, but I did gain a Level 1 in the subject and put that down to the exceptional teaching style which Mrs Charles demonstrated in every lesson.
I think of you all during this sad time, I wish you all well and I really hope that I may be able to attend Mrs Charles funeral service in January, she was a very positive role model for me and I would very much love to pay my respects for such a very exceptional and kind hearted woman.
Lindsey Ellicott
20/12/2025
