Anne Cattoor
Anne was born on the 2nd October 1936 in a coal mining village in Northum-berland. She went to Durham University teacher training college in Darlington, was a school teacher, and then a successful primary school headteacher, for many years.
She was very involved in teacher education, serving on CATE for the government and after retirement working at Canter-bury university teaching teachers.
Anne joined DKG on the 1st September 1986. She was given the DKG GB Canterbury Award to provide resources for the ‘Thanet Early Years Programme’. Her local authority, Kent County Council, valued it so highly that they donated funding to support the project.
She became the Gamma Chapter President in 1992-1994, and our State President in 1993 – 1995. Anne’s State Confer-ence in 1994 was held in Swindon with the theme ‘Towards Tomorrow’. The Conference included the first training day for new Chapter Presidents and discussions about producing a Great Britain State newsletter three times per year.
In 1995 The GB State Conference was held in Canterbury. It was organised by Anne and was of great importance to Europe. Over 200 members attended, including some American members. A decision was taken to go for an European Region at the next International in 1996. During Anne’s biennium the first Great Britain Newsletter was published.
Europe became a Region, and Anne became European Regional Director in 2000-2002. (Only the second person to take up the post as it had been an Area Representative position before). Anne concentrated on forming structures for an European organisation, and established a format for European Regional Conferences, as successfully used at the Malmo European Conference in 2001.
Anne was a member of the International Speakers’ Fund, and was an international speaker during 2024 in Montreal. She was a member of DKG for almost 40 years.
Anne had lived in Whitstable for about 30 years. She and her second husband, Maurice, had joined a choir and entertain-ment group and they organised tours to France and Belgium for them. Maurice spoke movingly to DKG about his child-hood memories of the war in Belgium and hiding in the woods while his father built up an escape route for allied troops.
As Anne and Maurice got older, in 2021 they decamped to a more suitable home in an independent living complex sur-rounded by lovely grounds in Taunton, Somerset, to be near their family. In Spring 2025 Anne sent in an article for GB New in brief about her life in Taunton. Sadly, Maurice had died a couple of year before.
Joan Carroll said that she ‘was so sad to hear the news of Anne's passing. She did so much for DKG for GB and Europe. Anne and Maurice were great friends with Terry and I and we had great fun joining with their Whitstable entertain-ment group on visits to the Bruges festivals and a cruise down the Rhine for the Christmas markets. They also joined us on several occasions to help provide the entertainment at Terry's Catenians Society Christmas parties. Happy days, fond-ly remembered and much missed.’
Diane Billam said that Anne will be ‘greatly missed’, Diana Bell remembers Anne as ‘a pleasant person who was very or-ganised and well in control of any situation’. Evelyn Goodsell said ‘She was a terrific European Director and certainly got things moving’. Her daughter, Jo Lyons said ‘She was deeply dedicated to your organisation and to education in general. One of her last conversations was about the joys of changing lives through good education’.
Anne had Parkinson’s for many years. Joan had a long conversation with Anne about being diagnosed with cancer and about being cared for in a hospice in addition to reminiscing about happy times during their long friendship just a few weeks before her death.
Diana Bell
She was very involved in teacher education, serving on CATE for the government and after retirement working at Canter-bury university teaching teachers.
Anne joined DKG on the 1st September 1986. She was given the DKG GB Canterbury Award to provide resources for the ‘Thanet Early Years Programme’. Her local authority, Kent County Council, valued it so highly that they donated funding to support the project.
She became the Gamma Chapter President in 1992-1994, and our State President in 1993 – 1995. Anne’s State Confer-ence in 1994 was held in Swindon with the theme ‘Towards Tomorrow’. The Conference included the first training day for new Chapter Presidents and discussions about producing a Great Britain State newsletter three times per year.
In 1995 The GB State Conference was held in Canterbury. It was organised by Anne and was of great importance to Europe. Over 200 members attended, including some American members. A decision was taken to go for an European Region at the next International in 1996. During Anne’s biennium the first Great Britain Newsletter was published.
Europe became a Region, and Anne became European Regional Director in 2000-2002. (Only the second person to take up the post as it had been an Area Representative position before). Anne concentrated on forming structures for an European organisation, and established a format for European Regional Conferences, as successfully used at the Malmo European Conference in 2001.
Anne was a member of the International Speakers’ Fund, and was an international speaker during 2024 in Montreal. She was a member of DKG for almost 40 years.
Anne had lived in Whitstable for about 30 years. She and her second husband, Maurice, had joined a choir and entertain-ment group and they organised tours to France and Belgium for them. Maurice spoke movingly to DKG about his child-hood memories of the war in Belgium and hiding in the woods while his father built up an escape route for allied troops.
As Anne and Maurice got older, in 2021 they decamped to a more suitable home in an independent living complex sur-rounded by lovely grounds in Taunton, Somerset, to be near their family. In Spring 2025 Anne sent in an article for GB New in brief about her life in Taunton. Sadly, Maurice had died a couple of year before.
Joan Carroll said that she ‘was so sad to hear the news of Anne's passing. She did so much for DKG for GB and Europe. Anne and Maurice were great friends with Terry and I and we had great fun joining with their Whitstable entertain-ment group on visits to the Bruges festivals and a cruise down the Rhine for the Christmas markets. They also joined us on several occasions to help provide the entertainment at Terry's Catenians Society Christmas parties. Happy days, fond-ly remembered and much missed.’
Diane Billam said that Anne will be ‘greatly missed’, Diana Bell remembers Anne as ‘a pleasant person who was very or-ganised and well in control of any situation’. Evelyn Goodsell said ‘She was a terrific European Director and certainly got things moving’. Her daughter, Jo Lyons said ‘She was deeply dedicated to your organisation and to education in general. One of her last conversations was about the joys of changing lives through good education’.
Anne had Parkinson’s for many years. Joan had a long conversation with Anne about being diagnosed with cancer and about being cared for in a hospice in addition to reminiscing about happy times during their long friendship just a few weeks before her death.
Diana Bell