Miss Shirley Hayes '54 and Staff
We are sad to announce the passing of Miss Shirley Hayes on 17th August 2018.
As well as a pupil at the School between 1947 and 1954, Shirley was a much-appreciated teacher of Domestic Science and Home Economics for virtually her whole career. She contributed to Queen's life in a wide variety of ways - through teaching, extracurricular activities, her commitment to Living Waters camps and the 'old girls' association, as well as her role in recent years as Class Rep for the 1954 cohort.
If you would like to contribute in Shirley's memory to either The Queen's School Archive Fund, or The Queen's School Bursary Fund, we would be very grateful. When giving, please use the reference ‘Shirley Archive’ or ‘Shirley Bursary.'
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Miss Susan Woodland, former staff, read this eulogy at Shirley’s funeral on September 6th:
“As I look round, I can see a lot of people who knew Shirley for much longer than I did but she and I were friends for 32 years. As I recall, Shirley was the very first person to speak to me when I entered the Queen’s School staffroom in September 1986, which was typical of her – kind and welcoming - and we quickly established that we had a number of things in common.
Shirley had attended the Queen’s School as a girl in the post-war years and then returned as a young teacher of Domestic Science, as it was then called. When I first knew her, her main domain was the ground floor of the science dept, which had been built in the 60s. Here she taught cookery to generations of girls. Needlework, especially lace-making was her chief love and, after she left the Queen’s School, she continued to teach lace. As Domestic Science changed to Home Economics, she also took on board the responsibility of teaching the girls to think about budgeting for a household, which she was very keen they should know about.
Then, of course, there were those skills which she taught by example rather than as part of a syllabus. I’ve already mentioned her kindness but integrity, generosity and tenacity also spring to mind when we think about Shirley.
Shirley was, as you would perhaps expect, a leading light in the school Scripture Union club and helped for many years with the weekend away at “Living Waters”, organised by Helen Parker.
Very early on in our friendship, during my first term I think, Shirley introduced me to the Chester Music Society Choir. We sat together as first altos in rehearsals, first in the Cathedral refectory and then in the Queen’s School hall. Performances in a sometimes very chilly Cathedral were occasions to be enjoyed, although Shirley did struggle to get on and off the staging latterly.
She loved a wide range of music, not just the choral music we sang with the choir, Gilbert and Sullivan being one of her favourites and she also attended the Music Society concerts when she could.
Shirley also liked to get involved in the admin side of things. For a number of years she was on the committee of the Queen’s School Association, as the Old Girls Association was then called. She also served 2 terms on the committee of the Music Society Choir.
I could say much more but I’ll end simply by reminding us again of some of the qualities which helped to sum up Shirley – tenacity, generosity, integrity and, above all, kindness. She was a good friend and I shall miss her.”