With his 90th birthday around the corner, Edenhaven Retirement Village resident Reg Stumke is set to celebrate his birthday under lockdown.
Born in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, on June 11, 1930, Reg travelled to SA with his parents when he was 18 months old.
The eldest of five children, Reg spent much of his childhood with his two brothers and two sisters growing up in Maraisburg.
While working temporarily as a designer draftsman, Reg met the love of his life Lorraine Baillie, a secretary at SA Railways at the time.
At the age of 22, Reg married Lorraine and raised four daughters and a son together.
They were married at Germiston’s Presbyterian Church, which Reg was a member of.
Later in life, Reg became an elder of the church and remains a member to this day.
In 1959, Reg qualified as a teacher and was appointed building construction and engineering drawing at the Germiston Technical College.
Teaching for close to 36 years, Reg retired from the college while he held the position of deputy principal.
His daughter, Glenda Osborn, described him as a teacher who was highly respected in his field.
“My dad was proud that the college had won the Sir Thomas Price Shield for several years due to the high marks achieved by learners.”
Although retired, Reg’s dedication to education did not end.
He continued preparing, assessing and moderating examination papers for the Department of Education for several years after his retirement.
“The impact he had on many of his learners over the years became very apparent. When learners bumped into him in shopping centres and on holiday, they expressed their gratitude to him,” said Glenda.
In early 2002, Reg and Lorraine moved to Pennington, where they lived for three years before returning to their home town, Germiston.
After their return, Reg was appointed as a teacher at Mandoren Private School in Kempton Park at the age of 71.
At the school, Reg taught matric learners mathematics, technology and drawing and design until the age of 79.
Reg moved to Edenhaven Retirement Village after he had a stroke which affected the right-hand side of his body in 2014.
Reg took residence in a single room, waiting for a double room to open up so he and Lorraine could live together; however, this never happened.
After being married for 63 years, Lorraine died in 2015 after undergoing surgery.
Glenda said her mom fell in a shopping mall where she fractured her hip.
While recovering from the hip replacement surgery, Lorraine contracted a superbug.
Reg is blessed with nine grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren in South Africa, Tasmania, Australia and London.
“What an icon he has been and what an exceptional life of achievements he has led,” said Glenda.
On behalf of the family, she wished her father a blessed 90th birthday and the family’s sincerest congratulations.
