Former St Andrews girls’ school teacher Jean Bott has died, aged 86. Mrs Bott, who taught at St Leonards School before it became co-educational, died at her home in the town on January 25.
She was born in Whitley, North Tyneside, in September 1924 and went to Darlington High School. When war broke out she joined the WRNS and was a petty officer in the Fleet Air Arm, repairing radar sets.
While based at HMS Condor, Arbroath, her duties included sitting in Swordfish bi-planes as the pilots tested the radar by dive-bombing Bell Rock.
During her war service she met her husband-to-be William, a naval chaplain. In 1947 she went to study maths at Durham University and her first job was as a maths teacher at St Mary’s, Calne.
Two years later she married William, who was rector of All Souls in Brighton. Their first son Richard was born in 1953 and they moved to Kincardine O’Neil, Aberdeenshire.
Daughters Anne and Mary followed but just three months after Mary was born William, whose health had declined, died in 1956.
Mrs Bott and her children moved to Pittenweem and she joined the congregation of the All Saints Church, St Andrews, of which she remained a loyal and active member until her death.
When Mary was seven, Mrs Bott began teaching maths at Seymour Lodge boarding school near Crieff, and a year later took a maths post at St Leonards, where she remained until she retired at 62 as department head in 1988.
In retirement she went to North Pakistan to educate mostly Muslim girls in maths, English and religion. She was distraught when the school was destroyed by a fire, suspected to have been caused by terrorists, in November 2009.
She retired again from teaching in 1993 and went on study tours to Ethiopia, Libya, Armenia, Russia, Ukraine, Syria, New Zealand and elsewhere. She enjoyed sailing on the west coast and was an active member of a reading group, meditation group, music club and a gym.
Mrs Bott leaves behind her son and daughters and seven grandchildren.