Tributes paid to '˜brilliant' teacher Rosemary Isaac

MUCH LOVED: Rosemary Isaac was a devoted teacher

Rosemary Isaac joined St Michael’s CE High School in Chorley as a chemistry teacher in 1967.

She became the head of science and took a pastoral role as head of Temple House, as well as later teaching maths.

Mrs Isaac taught thousands of pupils before retiring in 1999.

Friend Ann Johnson, a senior teacher at St Michael’s, described her as “a brilliant teacher and a brilliant professional person”.

She said: “She valued other people’s opinions and she really got respect by always setting high standards and expectations which she constantly achieved.

“She was an incredible person. She had a brilliant sense of humour, strong character and a very strong set of beliefs, with strong friendship groups.”

Mrs Issac grew up in Liverpool and moved to Chorley with her husband Eric in the 1950s.

She worked at Leyland Motors before doing teacher training and starting work at St Michael’s.

Dr Isaac said his wife always enjoyed the company of children and supported the parity in pay between men and women in teaching.

He said: “The pupils all thought she was hard and quite straight, but they loved her all the same.

“She wasn’t really - if they needed help, they knew where to turn.”

The couple were married for more than 50 years and had two daughters and two grandchildren.

Mrs Isaac, of Shawes Drive, Anderton, near Chorley, was a member of Rivington Parish Church and a talented watercolour artist, joining several groups.

She died after an illness, aged 78.

She loved colours so friends and family paid tribute to her by wearing brightly-coloured clothes at her funeral.

The family’s Labrador dog was among those in attendance.