Veronica Walker 1936 - 2023
Published on 24/05/23
We are tremendously sorry to share the news of the passing of former Head of Mathematics, Veronica Walker, who passed away on Sunday 9th April 2023, aged 86, after a short spell in hospital.
Veronica was born in November 1936 in Shanklin on the Isle of Wight. Due to the War, her childhood was spent moving around the country, and included periods living in London and the Cotswolds. Alongside her sister, Veronica boarded at Cheltenham Ladies’ College, an experience that was intellectually enriching but difficult. She successfully gained a place to read Mathematics at Newnham College, University of Cambridge, which she greatly enjoyed. Throughout her life she spoke fondly of her years living in ‘Peile’ and retained various friends from her university days.
Following university Veronica joined Spillers in Kennett as a statistician, where she met her husband, Alan. Both keen animal lovers, and due to Alan’s work on animal nutrition, they soon ended up with a house full of beagles, as well as other animals including many tortoises. After Spillers, Veronica spent her career working at the Perse Girls, something she was enormously proud of.
When Veronica retired in 1997, after 35 years at Perse Girls, a tribute to her in the school magazine said:
“It was not given to many members of staff to become a Perse institution, but Mrs Walker has achieved it by her length of service, beginning in 1962, and by her amazing mathematical grasp at which I can only marvel… [Veronica] has been well-known as a caring form teacher in the Lower V, whose desk contained everything any student could need from tissues to a French dictionary. She has also served the Staff Room as a member of the OPG Committee and had a long and distinguished career as an efficient external examiner for UCLES, something rarely seen.”
Following retirement Veronica continued to tutor pupils in mathematics, and mark A-Level maths scripts into her 80s. In her spare time, she walked dogs, battled cryptic crosswords and sudokus, read ferociously, and was a life-long fan of the Archers. She was also the treasurer of the Saffron Walden Amnesty International group for 25 years, inspiring her granddaughter to also volunteer for the group.