Elizabeth Stewart, who alongside husband James, taught ballroom dancing to generations of people in Perth, has died aged 88.
The couple ran the Stewart School of Dance from halls around Perth and Scone and later taught dancing at Perth College.
In earlier years, ballroom tuition was the mainstay of their work but they later introduced sequence dancing to their curriculum.
Elizabeth was brought up in Perth where her parents Marion and Harry ran Perth Dairy in Princes Street. They also owned a grocer’s shop and the family lived at 9 Princes Street.
Her father had the first motorised milk float in Perth in the 1930s as well as horse-drawn vehicles.
School days
Elizabeth was educated at Viewlands Junior Academy and then Perth Academy before going on to work for Woods the printer in Mill Street.
It was at a dance in Perth City Hall that she was literally swept off her feet by James, her future husband.
His parents, Jim and Mary Stewart, of Glasgow had founded a dance school in Perth after moving to escape the Clydeside bombing during the Second World War.
James had been schooled in dancing from an early age and impressed Elizabeth. The couple married in 1958 at St John’s Kirk and held their reception at the nearby Windsor.
From the 1940s through to the 1980s, James’ parents ran the dancing school from halls, including St Stephen’s in Paradise Place, and the Station Hotel.
James had a long career as a weaver at Don & Low, later Tay Textiles in Dunkeld Road before moving into a health and safety role.
When he was made redundant in his 60s, he got a job driving for Perth College.
Elizabeth brought up only son Derek, who was born in 1959, then later took on part-time work in the household of Colonel and Lady Rose at Huntingtower.
She then went to work full time at Scone aerodrome, working with the many Middle Eastern students before taking up a post at Dewar Court sheltered housing.
Elizabeth’s son, Derek, said: “They had a lifetime of dancing, taught into their 70s and only gave up dancing in their late 70s.”
Elizabeth and James were grandparents to Rory and Caroline and great-grandparents to Connie, Harry and Charlotte.
Just before he died in June 2019, James attended the wedding of Caroline to Rob and in May this year, Elizabeth was at the wedding of Rory to Victoria.
You can read the family’s announcement here.
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