My friend Renée Joyce, who has died aged 81, was a teacher of modern languages for more than 30 years at two schools in Harlow, Essex, where she was an active member of the community.
Outside her school work, Renée participated in many local organisations and events, including as chair of the governors of Tanys Dell school and as an active member of the Labour party. She was also involved in Harlow’s town twinning activities with Vélizy-Villacoublay in north-central France and was an amateur dramatist, directing and acting in many performances in the local area, both at the Playhouse theatre in Harlow and as a member of the Heath Players.
Renée was born in Islington, north London, to George and Edith Bevis. She attended Highbury school for girls until a family move to Harlow took her to the sixth form at Netteswell school in the new town.
After A-levels she spent 18 months in France as an au pair before obtaining a diploma in French language and civilisation from the Sorbonne in Paris. On her return to the UK in 1965 she married Richard Joyce, a radar engineer whom she had first met at Netteswell. In 1968 she graduated with a French degree from Birkbeck College, London.
After a period looking after her two young children, Simon and Matthew, she became a teacher of modern languages at Passmores school in Harlow from 1973 to 1986, after which she was head of modern languages at Burnt Mill school, also in Harlow, until her retirement in 2004. We first met when I was a student at Passmores; in fact I first read the Guardian when I was invited into her home.
A keen gardener, she took a horticultural course at Writtle College in Chelmsford and was a volunteer at the Gibberd Garden in Harlow. In retirement she joined the U3A and sang in two choirs while enjoying visits to gardens and teashops with family and friends.
Known as a feisty woman, Renée was nonetheless a generous soul, and supported friends and family members in many ways.
Travelling was another love: we visited many parts of England and Wales together, most recently to see red squirrels on Anglesey. She loved visits from her older grandsons from the Netherlands and baking with her younger grandchildren in Harlow.
Richard died in 2021. She is survived by their sons, Simon and Matthew, and her grandchildren, Linden, Aiken, Elsie and Frankie.
