Dianne Faith Cullis was laid to rest at Chigwell School

More than 100 friends, family and colleagues of Dianne Faith Cullis bid her farewell in the chapel of Chigwell School.

The 75 year-old spent her later years working weekends in the uniform shop and arranging flowers in the chapel at a school where her son Tim was a pupil.

She was best known in the area for her work as a teacher and school leader.

After attending and becoming headgirl at Dame Alice Harper High School for Girls in Bedford, she completed three years of teaching training at Trent Park College before joining Downsell School in Leyton.

From there she jumped to the position of head of the infant department at Uphall Primary School in Ilford, followed by a deputy headship then headship at Leytonstone's Mayville Infants' School.

She retired from the state sector at 60, having helped open two primary schools, before lending a hand at Coopersale Hall School and then Woodford Green Prep School for several years.

Alongside her during these years was fellow headteacher and MBE John, who she married at St. Andrews Church, Bedford in November 1973.

At the ceremony Tim said: "Mum had considerable influence among children as well as colleagues.

"She was a natural teacher whose knowledge of primary education, its philosophy and best practices were second to none.

"Indeed, she was a teacher of rare sensitivity and formal strength.

"The enduring memory for all who worked with her was her gentle nature and personal modesty, leavened by her delightful dry wit.

"She enthralled young children with stories and all benefitted from her intelligent conversation and teaching expertise.

"But what about Mum the person?

"It’s hard to do justice to 75 years of someone’s life and their personality in a few minutes of words.

"Mum wouldn’t have wanted a fuss to be made today or to see sad faces, a pretty classic running theme of her life really in that she was always so incredibly thoughtful and considerate of others and their feelings over and above her own."

Faith Cullis died on September 8 at St Clare Hospice in Hastingwood.

A thanksgiving service in her memory was led by Rev. Gary Scott, the Chigwell School Chaplain.

Tim concluded his eulogy by saying: "But now she’s gone and I’m going to miss her terribly.

"I say 'going' because I don’t think it has fully hit me yet, so quick was the progress of her illness.

"How ironic that the thing that was taken from her so quickly, her voice, was the thing that she used so successfully during her career and the thing that she related to – the spoken word, talking, teaching – the most.

"One of the final things that she was able to say to me last Easter, when we had a bit of cry about it all, was 'Stay strong, it’ll be ok'.

"Five words typical of her attitude to life, and not once through all of what she had to endure this year did she complain, or question why she had been dealt the hand she had been.

"She just got on with it and made the most of what she could of it all."