Linda Oakley

Linda was the adopted daughter of John and Velma Oakley, wife of Peter Hayward and mother of Joseph Hayward. She was brought up on the Oakleys' farm in Beckley near Rye in East Sussex. She attended local schools before going on to Benenden School and from there to St Anne's College, Oxford where she read English. At Oxford she developed her acting talent and was a highly successful and a much sought after performer with College drama groups, the Oxford Theatre Group, the Oxford University Dramatic Society (OUDS) and the Oxford and Cambridge Shakespeare Company. She took part in plays and revues at the Edinburgh Fringe, performing with other students who have since gone on to have glittering professional careers in film, TV and the theatre. On leaving Oxford she took up a place at The Institute of Education in London and gained her Postgraduate Certificate of Education (PGCE) in 1977. It was on account of her appointment to teach English at Holland Park Comprehensive School in West London that she met Peter Hayward who had joined the Music Department as a probationary teacher in the same year. They were married at Magdalen College, Oxford in June 1983. Linda was a hugely talented teacher, much loved by children of all ages. She was passionate about finding ways to instil a love and understanding of English literature in her pupils, particularly those from less privileged backgrounds. Her dedication as a Deputy Head of Year in working to keep individual pupils in education when others had given up on them was second to none. With Tony Fegan and Peter, she formed the Holland Park School Drama and Music Workshop which took student-devised productions to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival to great acclaim. Linda and Peter lived very happily in Notting Hill where their home was a haven for itinerant and homeless friends and always a hub of activity. Joseph was born at the West London Hospital just two days before Linda's 31st birthday. Linda was a devoted mother and loved all aspects of her new role. She was so happy and so fulfilled. Peter took up a new post at the Chichester Festival Theatre early in 1985 and it was during the new young family's temporary relocation to Chichester that she was diagnosed with malignant melanoma in March of that year. When treatment commenced she was particularly upset that she was unable to continue to feed baby Joseph but she endured with great courage the treatment programme at St Mary's Hospital, London facing up bravely to setbacks and further spread of her cancer. By April 1986 she had lost the use of her lower limbs but was able to attend Peter's brother's wedding at the beginning of June. It was then that many of her friends and family members saw her for the last time. She died on 26 June 1986 at Paddington Community Hospital. At her funeral in July 1986, the Putney Crematorium Chapel was overflowing with a huge number of friends and school pupils. Linda was a larger than life, charismatic personality with an unforgettable smile and a sparkling, mischievous sense of humour. She had a unique talent to engage with people of all backgrounds and interests with her warmth, her generosity and her kindness. She was a truly "shining" personality: shining with kindness, tolerance, patience and love. She never belittled people or judged them: she encouraged and supported. She will always be fondly remembered with gratitude and with a smile and a laugh by all who were fortunate enough to have encountered her, to love her and be loved by her.

Linda was the adopted daughter of John and Velma Oakley, wife of Peter Hayward and mother of Joseph Hayward. She was brought up on the Oakleys' farm in Beckley near Rye in East Sussex. She attended local schools before going on to Benenden School and from there to St Anne's College, Oxford where she read English.