30 December 1966 – 21 February 2022
Rebecca absolutely adored Stowe – no wonder perhaps, having been brought up in the Mansion itself (her father Stuart Morris was Housemaster of Chandos in the 1970s). She was ideally placed to benefit from the idyllic surroundings, the grace and grandeur of the grounds, the village school in Chackmore, weekend riding at ‘Mary’s’ and crucially the start of a life-long friendship with Penel Kirk, the second daughter of Michael Kirk, Housemaster of neighbouring Walpole. It was therefore only natural that she should return in 1983 for two happy and successful years in the Sixth Form.
Here, whilst making many invaluable and lasting friendships, she worked hard enough (just!) to gain entry to St. Mary’s Hospital, Paddington. A qualification as a Physiotherapist launched her on a thirty-year career of caring for others, during which she travelled the world, found time to organise adventure trips for people with physical disabilities and become a top specialist in the treatment of lower limb amputees.
Rebecca established an ever-growing friendship circle and became the glue that bonded together a remarkable group of loyal and loving friends, several of whom were at her side when she died.
Rebecca met and married Daan Coetzee, a South African who managed a series of successful wineries in the Western Cape and, of course, in addition to bringing up her own two daughters, she made another group of mutually supportive friends.
It was here that she came across Pilates for the first time and she immediately saw the physical and mental values associated with this new-found discipline. Naturally, Rebecca threw herself into it heart and soul, rapidly becoming a devoted enthusiast and, in time, a fully qualified instructor.
On their return to England, Rebecca and Daan created a warm and loving ‘forever’ home in the coastal town of Lymington in Hampshire. In addition to overseeing the schooling of her daughters, she set up, from scratch, a popular and flourishing Pilates business. Rebecca opened Coast Pilates some ten years ago and it is testimony to her skill, commitment and her personality that it has grown to be the leading Pilates studio in the Lymington area.
However, eventually and tragically, her courageous twelve-year battle with cancer, along with all its moments of morale boosting remission and heart-breaking setbacks, was lost. Rebecca passed away in February 2022.
A Memorial Fund has been set up in her name with the sole aim of supporting her daughters through the challenging years of senior school, college and university. Details of which can be obtained by emailing here.
Stuart Morris (Former staff 1964–1979)