Celebrating the Life of Angela Darke (née Abbot), Class of 1953 

We are very sad to share the news that Angela Darke (née Abbot), Class of 1953, died peacefully on 6 December 2025, aged 90. She spent the last four years of her life in a care home in Wantage, with her children by her side in her final days. 

Angela was born in Teddington on 18 September 1935, the eldest child of Reginald and Norah Abbot. Her father was a wine merchant, while her mother, a former secretary, stayed at home to raise the family. Her brother, Peter, arrived a little later, and the two remained close throughout his life. 

Angela started school later than most children, as her mother had asked for her admission to be deferred because of the war. At The Mall School in Twickenham, she thrived in the smaller classes created by the evacuation of so many children. Maths was a particular strength, and she did so well that, after three years, she sat the entrance exam for the junior school at Lady Eleanor Holles. Finding the maths paper rather easy, she was moved up a year. Her parents nevertheless insisted that she sit the 11-plus at the usual age, which she passed, securing a full scholarship to the senior school. 

After leaving LEH, Angela went on to study General Science at King’s College London. She lived at home and travelled by train each day, graduating in 1957 at a ceremony in the Royal Albert Hall attended by the Queen Mother. 

Her first job was as a scientist at Fulham gasworks, where she met David Darke. Their friendship developed over lunchtime tennis matches with colleagues, and they married on 27 August 1960. 

Their wedding came at a particularly difficult time for Angela. Her mother had died just six weeks earlier, following an operation from which she had been expected to recover. Angela had been making her wedding dress with her mother and, determined to finish it, completed it with the help of her godmother. Looking back years later, she recalled that, although others were sad, she had made the most of the day. It was a telling reflection of Angela’s character. She faced life’s difficulties without fuss, finding a way forward and making the best of things. 

Angela and David began married life in Whitton, close to her father, and welcomed their first two children there. In 1964, David took a job with Esso at Harwell, and the family moved to Grove in Oxfordshire. They remained there until 1987, when they moved a few miles down the road to Wantage. 

Angela had always hoped for four children, and when her eldest two were settled at school, she welcomed two more. Family was at the heart of her life, and she took enormous pride in her ten grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. 

Her care for children extended well beyond her own family. Angela and David raised money for the National Association for the Welfare of Children in Hospital, and for several summers they opened their home to children from London, welcoming them for a week or so to enjoy a holiday in the countryside. Later, when she had retired, Angela volunteered at the toddler group at her local church. 

When her youngest child started playgroup, Angela returned to work in the laboratories at St Mary’s School in Wantage. Her role gradually expanded to include teaching practical science lessons, but when she was asked to take on more teaching, she decided it was time for a change. Not one to sit still for long, she took a job on the tills at Tesco in Abingdon. She thoroughly enjoyed it, chatting to customers and occasionally coming home with a bargain or two. 

Faith was another constant in Angela’s life. She was an active member of her church and the Mothers’ Union, and Sundays were sacrosanct, reserved for worship and family. She was also a long-standing member of the WI. At home, she loved cooking and baking, and until her sight began to fail a couple of years before her death, she spent many happy hours sewing and knitting. She made clothes for her family and knitted jumpers for charity, always finding ways to put her skills to good use. 

Retirement brought more opportunities to travel. Angela and David visited family in Australia and enjoyed coach holidays and cruises to many different countries. She never lost her enthusiasm for a day out, either. As her 90th birthday approached, she made a list of places she would love to visit. Despite her declining health, her family helped her tick off two particularly meaningful trips: a visit to Hampton Court, a place she had often enjoyed in her younger days, and a Prom at the Royal Albert Hall, where she had graduated nearly seventy years earlier. 

Angela’s life was shaped by her quiet determination, her deep faith and her instinct to care for others. From scholarship girl to scientist, teacher, dressmaker, wife, mother and grandmother, she embraced each chapter with the same practical spirit and warmth. She will be greatly missed and remembered with much love by her family and all those who had the pleasure of knowing her.