Obituaries
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Sheila Audrey Scott (Coleman)
Sheila died peacefully in Stanway Green Lodge Care Home, Colchester, on 6th June 2020 aged 89. Widow of Don, mother of Alan, Martin and Judy, granny to Sam, Megan and Mary.
If anyone could let us have memories of Sheila we will share them in the next Newsletter.
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Dr Paul Sharpe, CCHS Biology Department from 1980 to 2009
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Mary Rickard (1969 to 1976 and laboratory technician, 1987 to 2000) writes: I was so sorry to learn from a former colleague of the sad death of Dr Paul Sharpe.
Paul joined CCHS as Head of Biology from Clacton County High School in 1980, receiving several promotions over the years, eventually being promoted to Deputy Head in 1995, a post he held until his retirement in 2009. His wife, Sue, remembers his duties as Senior Teacher - Curriculum Manager including constructing the timetable on their hall floor, with the aid of a huge white board and hundreds of coloured stickers. In addition to his excellent teaching and nurturing at CCHS, he will be remembered by many for his liaison with local primary schools, enriching their science curriculum; providing evening classes for parents and for the practical sessions which he ran for students from local comprehensive schools during the holidays. His keen interest in WWI and WWII history lead to him becoming an honorary member of the History department and he often accompanied their trips to the battlefields.
I met Paul when I re-joined CCHS as a physics technician in 1987 and personally remember him as being such a caring, knowledgeable, modest and gentle man. Coffee breaks were never long enough, he was such an interesting person to talk to. I remember him telling me about his collection of fossil sharks’ teeth and how he knew of a fantastic place to find them (which he, frustratingly, would never divulge to me!). He was always busy doing something - I seem to recall that he was a keen sea canoeist and I am informed that his wife has now published a book that he wrote. Anything entitled ‘Much more than calamari’ and which Amazon describes as seeking to show how important the mollusc phylum has been in shaping history definitely requires further investigation!
Paul put so much effort into everything he did, including having fun. I was reminded of the Sand Dance which he and Sheila Allen (Chemistry) performed at a CCHS end of term talent show one year. I well remember the two of them practicing (seemingly endlessly) in my Physics laboratory when the girls weren’t around, and what a roaring success it was with girls and staff alike on performance day: this is how I intend to remember my former colleague, Paul – with a smile.
I am grateful to Paul’s wife, Sue, for providing me with details of just a few of Paul’s admirable achievements, and to Shirley Tofts for telling me that she considered that ‘He was the fairest and kindest person I had the pleasure to work with’, which says it all.
With heartfelt condolences to Paul’s family.
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