Tribute paid to former teacher (From Keighley News)

Tribute paid to former teacher

5:00pm Thursday 12th July 2012 in Keighley By Miran Rahman

A Keighley woman who was well-known for her work as a teacher and for advising couples who were getting married has died.

Margaret Devlin taught English and RE at Holy Family Catholic School in the town before she retired in 2003.

She had also been head of Year Seven and was involved with arranging annual pupil pilgrimages to Lourdes, in France.

She was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2009 and died in Manorlands hospice on Sunday, aged 65.

Her son John Devlin, who is head teacher at Keighley’s Our Lady of Victories Primary School, said: “She was a very good person. She always saw the best in everybody and never said a bad word about anyone. She was selfless and giving, a wonderful mother and wonderful grandmother. She was never on time, she was almost flawless apart from her lack of punctuality.”

Mrs Devlin was born in Keighley in 1947 and married Michael in 1970. The couple had two sons, John and Michael.

John said she taught “on and off” at Holy Family School for about 30 years. “She was a huge presence at the school and was very well-known and loved,” he said. “She touched people’s lives as a teacher and was always a proud member of St Anne’s parish.”

Mrs Devlin and her husband also conducted marriage preparation talks for their parish.

Her funeral service will be at 12.30pm tomorrow, Friday July 13, at St Anne’s Church, in North Street. The service will be followed by burial in Utley Cemetery, then a gathering at St Anne’s Social Centre.