Old Princethorpians

Anne Healy, Princethorpe’s First Parent Governor and former Matron sadly passed away from Alzheimer's on Sunday 14 May. A huge supporter of the college, four of her five children attended Princethorpe in the late 80s and 90s - Jonathan (Class of ‘86), Alex (Class of ’88), Zara (Class of ’90) and Dick (Class of ’97).

Her daughter, OP Alex Johnson, shares a brief obituary in celebration of Anne’s life.

Anne was born in Coventry in 1937. At 15 she began training as a Nurse Cadet and she was well known in the city as a Nurse and Midwife delivering thousands of babies and caring for expectant and new mothers. Age 26, Anne qualified as a Midwifery Tutor and was the youngest person at the time to do so, taking her first role at Dudley Road Hospital.

She became Senior Midwifery Tutor at Walsgrave Hospital later in her career after working as a District Midwife in the city and she taught hundreds, if not thousands, of students who went on to be Midwives throughout the world.

Anne was also President of The Royal College of Midwives in Warwickshire and part of the local Red Cross as well as President of Kenilworth Women’s Institute. Her charity work raised money for developing countries. After retiring from Midwifery, she retrained and became a counsellor for Relate in Coventry. She also enjoyed working as a supporting artiste in film and on TV and became a Special Minister at St Joseph the Worker Church in Coventry.

Joining Princethorpe in the late 80s first as a parent and then later as the first Parent Governor and a Matron, Anne was very much a popular member of the Princethorpe Community.   

Anne’s funeral is being held at St Joseph the Worker Church, Cannon Park Coventry. Reception in to the church on Sunday 4 June at 4.00pm, Funeral at 10.00am on Monday 5 June followed by committal at Canley Crematorium at 11.30am. 

Anyone who would like more information or who would like to share their memories of Anne can contact her family via alexandra.johnson@albanytheatre.co.uk.

A spring Christening was the order of the day for Emily Dawber (nee Wheildon) and her husband Stephen's second child, Eliza Joan on Sunday 30 April.

Eliza is a little sister for Lucas who has just turned four, and the family are now based in Kineton. We wish them all well.

Engagement congratulations go out to Ruth Dyke and her soon-to-be husband Simon Magill.

Ruth attended Princethorpe from 1998 - 2005. Ruth is now a retail buyer for The English Heritage Trust, buying home and garden products for all of the gift shops nationwide. Simon is a credit management consultant for Cabot Credit Management Group Ltd.

The wedding is planned for 28th May at Cotswold House Hotel in Chipping Campden.

Ruth continues – ‘We're having a civil ceremony followed by a relaxed reception at the same venue with garden games in the grounds of the hotel, so it'll be a lovely Cotswold English wedding! Fingers crossed for sunshine! Quite a few old Princethorpians will be there and the wider Princethorpe community including The Griffins, Alex Darkes and Loretta.'

Congratulations to the happy couple.

We have exciting news to share from brother and sister, Bof and Rod Kefalas, who are both celebrating their engagements to their respective partners. We hear from Bof about his plans for his upcoming nuptials this summer and wish Rod all the best with her planning for her wedding next year! Bof continues…

I left Princethorpe as a student in 2008 and returned as a member of staff in the Grounds Team during my summers at University, eventually joining the Estates Team post Uni, leaving as Assistant Estates Manager in 2016. I am currently the Facilities Manager at Compton Verney and my fiancée, Sonia Khan, is an Account Manager at Dell. We live together in Coventry with Sonia having moved up from Reading.

We are getting married in Coventry on Sunday 13 August this year. There will be a few OPs in attendance at the wedding, with some a part of the Grooms party. We are really looking forward to the big day and are hoping for good weather!

We look forward to sharing more news on Rod’s engagement and Bof’s celebration in the next edition of the OP Newsletter – many congratulations to them both!