Susan Herbert obituary

My mother Susan Herbert, who has died aged 73, was remembered by many of her pupils emphatically as their best teacher and as an enduring source of inspiration.

Born in Bristol to Norman Barwick, a solicitor, and his wife, Esme (nee Peters), she was brought up in County Durham, where she spent her childhood playing around the village of Hamsterley Mill and the “orange juice” river – so named because of its colour, the result of works at the nearby Consett Iron Company.

Susan went from Newcastle central high school to St Hugh’s, Oxford, to read classics. She enjoyed language learning all her life and, until this spring, was adding to the portfolio with weekly lessons in modern Greek. My mother was not a plain speaker; if she thought someone was self-important or unkind, she would look for fault within her comfort zone, suggesting that they didn’t know the difference between the nominative or the accusative, or the correct meaning of “existential”.

As an undergraduate, Susan joined a trip to Greece and met David Herbert, a teacher, who was handing out the tour tickets at Victoria station. Norman and Esme could not approve of David, who had a volcanic temper and a sports car, but Susan rebelled. In 1970, the young married couple moved with their little daughter Nichola to Bletchingley, Surrey. I was born the next year, followed by Naomi in the heatwave of 1976.

Susan’s first job was as Latin teacher at the local comprehensive. Teacher training was not a requirement then, but in choosing what was convenient, she found her vocation. She was always delighted to share her subject, not only with star pupils who would later acknowledge her in their PhD theses and books, but also with less focused students, like me. She added Eothen school, Caterham, to her timetable and, latterly, became head of classics at Caterham school, staying there for 12 years until 2004.

In retirement, Susan walked in the countryside, continued to teach at home and contained her despair about the world by giving large amounts to charity. She voted for Brexit, believing it to be for the best, but was shocked to discover she was in the majority. Going to church helped her, and it was with typical humour that she recalled a mondegreen from a hymn learned in childhood: “God be at mine end and at my tea party [my departing].”

Susan is survived by David, my sisters and me, and seven grandchildren.

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