Susan D'Ath nee Wells
Susan
1936-2014
"No act of kindness, however small, is ever wasted." Aesop
In memoriam
Susan was a wonderful selfless person who always had a ready smile. This website is in memory of her and her rich life.
God bless you dear Sue and thank you for everything, you are greatly missed.
EARLY LIFE
LATER LIFE
Susan first met Richard when she came home at Easter to stay with her parents. Richard was a National Service officer in the Royal Engineers and his merry men built a stand for the Queen to address invited residents of Rochester including Susan’s parents in the Castle grounds following the distribution of Maundy money in the Cathedral, Thursday 30th March 1961.
Susan and Richard, a Chartered Civil Engineer, were married in St Nicholas Church beside Rochester Cathedral on 30th June 1962. After their honeymoon they lived in St Margret’s Bay, Kent. Richard was a Round Tabler and Susan joined Dover Ladies Circle in 1962 whose aim is to help others. Later she joined Priory Ladies Circle when we moved to Leigh-on-Sea.
Sue bought two Victorian chairs and attended the local technical college to learn how to upholster them using traditional methods including the use of horse hair under the guidance of an old craftsman Mr. Hollis.
She was a Councilor for Southend for Eastwood and enjoyed the work.
She was a founder member of Eastwood Townswomen Guild and went onto Federation. Susan and Norma Hayhow started the initial Breast Screening campaign. The two went to see the Medical Officer of Health and he said go away and raise £5,000. The Guild members duly did and returned to Medical Officer of Health who then thought he had better take these ladies seriously. It was then decided it should have a higher profile so it was fronted by Lady Macadam to become the very successful BUST campaign. Southend has a breast screening unit at the hospital which is still supported by voluntary donations.
She was a school governor of a number of schools, some of which she was Chairman including Blenheim for 14 years.
One of her achievements which she was most proud of was the overseeing of the initial fragmented and bringing together of the Adult Education in Southend. She was a governor for 42 years and had been Chairman.
She never liked praise and would say it was with the help of many others which was undoubtedly true but she nevertheless played a very pivotal role.
The first part of her married life Susan did not work but a builder friend asked her to help him with his files and soon she became officer manager and company secretary. This was followed by freight forwarding and the retirement.
Susan was an extremely competent needlewoman including bobbin fine lace. She was concerned that old crafts would die out and was a keen member of a Lace Group in Haleigh which just about peaked at 100 members.
After our visit to New Zealand she became an enthusiastic patchwork maker as our excellent bedspreads demonstrate.
She has never liked being inactive and apart from her many hobbies she was until 6 months before her death the Treasurer for the self-management of a block of 18 flats in Canterbury.
She also greatly enjoyed her Friday Night Scottish dancing, the music and the steps and the patterns formed. She was their Treasurer also up to 6 months ago before her death.
Sue very much enjoyed TEDFAS lectures or NADFAS as many will know it by - and particularly enjoyed Fredo and Mike’s theatre group when we frequently went to see London plays catching up from what we had missed in our early married life.
In her retirement many happy hours were spent with her Wednesday Girls or “The Coven” as some called it. Richard was not allowed anywhere near and saved his computer letter writing for Wednesday afternoons. But from his office he could hear Susan’s burst of laughter as indeed he could from Pam, Mette, Verle, Theresa and Stella.
Sue was a super girl and she and Richard had 52 very happy years together. Richard could not have wished to have had a better partner in life. Their only sadness was they did not have any children but in life you cannot have everything. By compensation they had two nephews Callum and James and a niece Penny. A strong bond grew initially from when they flew down from Scottish boarding schools to Stansted airport on a Friday staying the weekend before being taken on Monday to Gatwick. This happened six times a year plus family holidays due to Richard’s diplomatic brother’s foreign postings.
Susan was a happy person who always had a ready smile and she certainly put OTHERS BEFORE SELF and typically gave her blood on 38 occasions.
God bless you dear Sue and thank you for everything you are greatly missed.
WORK
Susan Veronica Wells/Susan Veronica D’Ath
Born in Rochester 5th April 1936 – died in Leigh-on-Sea 2nd August 2014
Susan went to Oakdene Boarding School for Girls, Beaconsfield at the age of 9 and at the age of 13 went to The Warren School for Girls, in Worthing.
When at the boarding school in Worthing she was selected by all the teachers for the cup for PUTTING OTHERS BEFORE SELF. And that has been Susan’s motto throughout life.
Parents: Major Thomas Ralph Wells M.C. 1887-1974 and Hélène Sobolevski Wells 1897-1988
Brother: John Peter Wells 1924-2002
Paternal grandparents: Alfred Ernest Wells was the Doctor of Cuckfield married to Edith Harriette Saunders.
Maternal grandparents: Stephen Christopher Smith, Tea Planter Namunukula, Ceylon married to Mary Helen Yeames.
After school with her GCSE Susan started studying Occupational Therapy in London, gaining experience in several hospitals including patients mentally challenged. On one occasion a surgeon operating on a patient requested that Susan to stand beside him as he made his incision and continued with the procedure. Later Susan joined a pattern company of McCall London office in the 1950s. She made six dresses and suits from patterns and in the spring and autumn organised fashion shows before going on tour on her own to such cities as Belfast, Glasgow and Bristol putting on fashion shows in large department stores’ restaurants. Susan commèred using local models and on many occasions modelled the dresses herself.
She shared a flat in Hampstead with two girls Mavis Anne Smith and Elaine Kikajos, a French Architect.
Ladies Circle (Dover + Priory)
Councillor for Eastwood Ward, Southend-on-Sea
Founding member of Eastwood Townswomen Guild
School Governor for a number of schools and Chairwoman of Blenheim
Governor and Chair of
Southend-on-Sea Adult Education
Residential property Treasurer
Chairman of Southend Priory Ladies Circle
Councillor Sue
Going to a dinner dance
Gamesmaker for the Paralympic Olympic Games London 2012
6 weeks before Sue died after her 6 month illness from pancreatic cancer (2/8/2014)
INTERESTS
GREAT UNCLE
William Frederick Yeames 1835-1918
Artist renowned for his work, 'And when did you last see your father?'. Susan's mother and aunt, Cecile, were taught to paint by their great uncle.
MATERNAL GRANDPARENTS
Stephen Christopher Smith, Tea Planter Namunukula, Ceylon married to Mary Helen Yeames, a niece of William Frederick Yeames artist.
PATERNAL GRANDPARENTS
Alfred Ernest Wells was the Doctor of Cuckfield married to Edith Harriette Saunders
FATHER
Major Thomas Ralph Wells M.C. joined the Indian Army, 16th Punjabis after Sandhurst and later got his pilot's liense in 1914. He later became a WWII Wing Commander in the RAF.
Needlework/Patchwork
Scottish Country Dancing
Photography
Upholstery
TEDFAS
Antiques
GENEALOGY
Artist in the family - William Frederick Yeames
William Frederick Yeames RA (18 December 1835 – 3 May 1918) was a British painter best known for his oil-on-canvas problem picture 'And When Did You Last See Your Father?', which depicts the son of a Royalist being questioned by Parliamentarians during the English Civil War. A number of the characters in the painting were based on Susan's relatives who were used as life models.
Madame Yeames (nee Wilhelmina Von Rahl Hesse Cassel
Still Life by William Frederick Yeames
Portrait by William Frederick Yeames
Notable ancestors
Susan has a very interesting family tree dating back to the 1500s. Listed below is a potted history of individuals of particular note. An extensive version of the family tree is in the process of being completed and will be added to the site in due course.
General Kinsanoff
3rd Great grandfather
Thomas Spry Byass
3rd Great grandfather
Edith Harriette Wells
Mary Byass
3rd Great grandmother
Madame Kinsanova
Sue's Mother's family side
Sue's Father's family side
Elizabeth Bachelor bc. 1742 (4th great grandmother of Susan)
with youngest grandson Lovell Byass b. 1785 – d.22 July 1865 (3rd great grandfather of Susan)
Wife of William Byass, Rector of Parishes of Stopham, Parham & Tortington, Sussex
Painting signed Henry Singleton 1786 (1766-1839)
Mary Francis Greatley bc.1789 (3rd great grandmother of Susan)
Wife of Lovell Byass, b. 1785 – d. 1865, Doctor at Cuckfield (c1805-1865)
m. 8 May 1805 in St Mary’s, Littlehampton, Sussex
Painted circa 1810 by Henry Singleton
Henry Singleton’s works are currently in the collections of the British Museum, the Victoria and Albert Museum, the National Portrait Gallery (London), the Scottish National Portrait Gallery, Tate Britain, the Ulster Museum, and the Brighton Art Gallery.