Anne Bower, a dedicated teacher of chemistry and mathematics at grammar and comprehensive schools in Newcastle, Sunderland, and Rotherham, has died at the age of 80. Her passing was confirmed by her husband, who noted her lifelong commitment to education and social justice.
Early life and education
Born in Newcastle upon Tyne and raised in South Shields, Anne was the daughter of Richard, an Admiralty overseer on the Tyne during the second world war, and Winifred Austin, a shop worker. She attended South Shields grammar school for girls before reading chemistry, with maths as a subsidiary subject, at the University of Leeds, graduating in 1966. At that time, she was one of the few female students of natural sciences.
It was at Leeds that Anne met her future husband, also a postgraduate student, while she was studying for a diploma in education. The couple married in 1969.
Teaching career
After university, Anne taught chemistry at Gosforth grammar school in Newcastle from 1967 to 1970, and at Bede grammar school in Sunderland from 1970 to 1971. When the family moved to Rotherham, Anne began a long association with Oakwood comprehensive school, teaching maths there from 1971 to 1974 and again from 1984 to 2003, with a break to raise her two children, Caroline and Jonathan.
At Oakwood, Anne held senior management posts, was a member of the parent-teacher association, and represented her colleagues on the school governing body. She also attended curriculum meetings with the local authority and the Department for Education in London. Additionally, she worked as an examiner for chemistry and maths with examination boards in Oxford and the north of England, and for international students.
Retirement and social justice
In retirement, Anne became a keen languages student, becoming proficient in French, Italian, and Spanish, which she used for travelling in Europe and further afield. She maintained a keen sense of social justice, serving as a governor of Canklow Woods primary school in one of Rotherham’s most disadvantaged areas.
She also supported students from less privileged backgrounds at her university, volunteered with the Youth Justice Service, and helped at the local hospital and hospice. Anne was a loyal and active member of the National Union of Teachers and a longstanding member of the Labour party, working in support of candidates in local and general elections.
Family and legacy
An excellent cook, Anne delighted in hosting dinner parties and larger celebratory occasions. She enjoyed baking and continued to do so by video link with her granddaughters during the Covid-19 pandemic. The marriages of her daughter and son brought five grandchildren into her life, and she became a loving and devoted grandma. Above all else, it was her family that gave Anne her greatest joy.
Anne is survived by her husband, her children, her grandchildren Dan, Adam, Emily, Laura, and Lydia, and her brother, Richard.
