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Patricia
Earlam
sadly
passed
away
peacefully
in
February
2005.
PAT
REMEMBERED
-
taken
from
the
Eulogy
for
Pat
Earlam
given
by
Rev.
Sylvia
Dyer
at
Pat's
funeral
service
(School
Tie
2005)
"Pat
was
born
in
Northwich
in
Cheshire,
the
only
daughter
of
Algy
and
Brenda
Earlam.
Her
mother
died
when
she
was
only
nine
years
old
and
she
was
brought
up
by
her
father
and
her
grandmother
until
her
father
married
Nora
Tankard
three
years
later.
Pat
attended
Sir
John
Deane's
Grammar
School
in
Northwich,
where
she
became
Head
Girl
and
then
went
on
to
read
History
at
Sheffield
University.
Pat
joined
Ashford
School
as a
History
Teacher
in
1958
and
soon
became
a
much-loved
and
valued
member
of
the
School's
staff.
She
was
House
Tutor,
first
of
Brooke
Place
until
the
House
closed
in
1987,
to
be
replaced
by
the
newly-built
Brabourne
House,
of
which
she
became
the
first
House
Tutor
- a
task
she
was
honoured
to
take
on.
Norma
Smyth
writes:
"Her
flat
here
was
a
haven
of
civilisation.
She
welcomed
her
colleagues
there
and
entertained
them
in
an
atmosphere
of
books,
music
and
interesting
conversation.
Pat
was
especially
brilliant
at
moments
of
crisis
in
people's
lives:
calm,
supportive,
constructive
in
the
help
she
offered
and,
too,
at
moments
of
stress
the
tension
would
be
broken
by
her
infectious
laugh.
When
video
cameras
were
new,
Pat
set
about
making
a
film
on
boarding
life
to
send
to
the
four
corners
of
the
world.
This
was
much
to
the
consternation
of
her
colleagues
and
members
of
her
House.
The
Deputy
Head
and
House
Captain
were
forced
to
perform
a
moving
scene
of
mother
and
daughter
saying
farewell
on
the
doorstep."
For
the
last
twelve
years
of
her
time
there,
she
was
additionally
the
Senior
Mistress
with
special
responsibility
for
all
boarders
as
well
as
the
arrangements
for
important
School
functions.
Pat's
meticulous
planning
and
her
concern
for
detail
-
even
to
the
point
of
leading
a
party
of
'holy
dusters'
to
attack
the
cobwebs
in
the
gallery
of
St
Mary's
Church
-
ensured
that
the
School
could
be
proud
of
any
event
for
which
she
was
responsible.
Many
of
the
plans
and
ideas
she
introduced
are
still
in
operation
today.
When
Pat
retired
in
1995
she
had
been
at
Ashford
School
for
thirty-seven
years.
But
in
Pat's
case,
though
she
had
looked
forward
to
it
with
some
trepidation,
retirement
meant,
not
an
end
but
a
new
beginning.
Now
she
had
more
time
to
involve
herself
in a
greater
range
of
activities,
to
develop
new
talents,
and
to
make
new
friends.
She
did
not
lose
the
opportunity
to
do
so.
Retaining
her
interest
in
the
School,
Pat
took
on
the
task
of
official
archivist
and
compiled
and
produced
an
illustrated
Centenary
History
of
Ashford
School,
of
which
even
she
was
justly
proud.
This
led
her
on
to
develop
her
skill
on
computers.
She
became
very
good
at
controlling
the
whims
and
vagaries
of
her
machine
and
produced
cards,
scrap
book
anthologies,
a
family
tree
and
latterly
wrote
and
transcribed
music.
In
2003
Pat
was
asked
to
become
President
of
the
Ashford
School
Old
Girls'
Association,
which
was
a
testament
to
the
high
regard
in
which
she
was
held
by
the
many
hundreds
of
girls,
and
their
parents,
who
were
taught
or
looked
after
by
her
during
her
time
at
the
School.
It
was
with
great
sadness
that,
whilst
in
Chaucer
Hospital,
she
tendered
her
resignation
to
Carolyn
Chamberlain,
the
Chairman
and
Secretary
of
the
Association.
No
appreciation
of
Pat
would
be
complete
without
mentioning
her
animals
who
played
an
important
role
in
her
life.
The
first
was
Sandy,
the
mongrel,
who
lived
at
home
in
Hartford.
When
Pat
was
away
in
Sheffield,
Sandy
would
often
take
himself
off
on a
wander,
looking
for
her
or
so
she
liked
to
think!
The
next
two
dogs
were
quite
different.
Nelson
the
Beagle,
a
lovable
rogue
who
cultivated
deafness
to
any
command
unless
it
was
accompanied
by a
treat,
and
then
Barnaby
the
Cocker
Spaniel,
who
was
equally
spoilt
to
pieces.
Pat
touched
the
lives
of a
great
many
people
through
the
School,
the
Church,
her
music,
the
Cathedral,
her
village
and
in
all
walks
of
life.
It
appears
that
once
she
made
a
friend
she
never
let
that
friendship
drop,
however
far
back
in
her
life
it
was.
We
give
thanks
today
to
God
for
Pat,
for
her
example
of
care
and
consideration
for
others,
her
generosity
of
spirit,
her
enthusiasm,
her
sense
of
humour,
for
all
that
she
has
meant
to
so
many
people
in
so
many
ways
-
but
above
all
for
her
faith
in
God
who
was
her
rock
and
her
defence
- a
faith
always
strong,
but
which
became
even
stronger
during
her
illness,
and
she
often
felt
it
to
be
so.
This,
without
doubt,
was
why
she
was
able
to
face
her
life-threatening
condition
with
hope
and
courage
to
the
end.
About
smaller
things,
she
could
be a
worrier,
but
in
death's
dark
vale
she
knew
she
need
fear
no
ill."
School
Tie
Ed's
note:
A
great
sadness
in
Pat's
life
was
the
death
of
her
great
friend
from
Ashford
teaching
staff,
Joyce
Taylor,
who
retired
long
before
Pat.
Once
Pat
had
retired
they
were
planning
to
travel
together
to
many
parts
of
the
world,
but
sadly
they
were
cheated
out
of
this.
Joyce
died
very
soon
after
Pat's
own
retirement.
Joyce
had
been
an
inspirational
geography
teacher,
the
reason
why
so
many
of
us
did
Geography
'A'
Level
I
suspect.
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