WELL-known teacher and community member, Gwen Pellew (85) died at home in Warner Beach on Friday, 13 October.
According to her daughter Linda Pellew, Gwen developed pneumonia after being involved in a vehicle accident.
Gwen was born in Umkomaas on 11 November, 1929. She lived in Port Shepstone and came to the area at the age of nine and attended Warner Beach Primary School and later taught there for close to 30 years.
Her first teaching post was in Sezela where she met her future husband Jack. She later taught at Umbogintwini Primary School and for 29 years at Warner Beach Primary until she retired in 1986.
She enjoyed nothing better than to go to the shops and bump into past pupils.
‘don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened’
When she retired, she took up bowls with Jack and they both became umpires and coaches and served on the committee at Winklespruit Bowling Club. She was an avid follower of all sports, cricket, tennis, rugby and the Grand Prix.
In recent years, she visited the elderly in Mooihawens with the Methodist Church. Every Wednesday they would go to the frail care section to visit and befriend the patients there.
On a Friday, she would escort them to the church service held at Mooihawens. She was filled with compassion and love for her friends there. She was also an active member of the St Winifreds Methodist Church.
‘An awesome, caring, loving teacher, one of the teachers who had a special place in my heart, she had grace and kindness’
Gwen was a devoted mother and grandmother and adored her family and followed all activities of her grandchildren via Skype and email. Jack and Gwen travelled extensively to visit their children in far flung corners of the globe. Jack died in July, 2001 and Gwen lived with Linda in Impala Park for the past four years. Prior to that she lived in Harcombe Road for 56 years and was fiercely independent in driving her noisy, silver Volkswagen Fox.
As a person she was entirely selfless, always putting the needs of others first. She was positive, happy and looked for the good in others.
Tributes on the Toti-ites 60s and 70s site and the Warner Beach Primary School site attest to the great woman she was. She has been described as a legend.
One of the comments was: ‘An awesome, caring, loving teacher, one of the teachers who had a special place in my heart, she had grace and kindness’.
Fellow teacher and friend, Lynn Jack said: “I taught with Gwen at Warner Beach Senior Primary in the 1970s. She was the librarian in charge of the media centre and was an amazingly efficient and enthusiastic teacher. She was dedicated to inspiring children to love books and enjoy reading. She also ran the chess club and some of her pupils represented Natal. I’m going to miss a dear friend and wonderful caring member of the community.”
“She left this world with a life well-lived. Her motto ‘don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened’ (especially when saying farewell at airports after family visits),” said Linda.
Jack and Gwen had three children, Linda, John and Rosane. John lives in the USA and has four children and Rosane and her husband farm in New Zealand and have three children.
