Patricia Rae Fitall (21 Jan 1933 - 28 Jul 2024)

In loving memory of Rae Fitall who sadly passed away on 28th July 2024.
Rae's story started at 38 Huddleston Road, North London, where she was born at home on 21st January 1933. The family moved in 1935 to Norbiton House, Camden. Rae showed academic promise early on starting school at the age of 3 and a half. At the age of 11 Rae was awarded a scholarship from London County Council which enabled her to attend the City of London School for Girls, where she flourished. Rae shone in her maths lessons at school and moved on to Southampton University to study a degree in Mathematics. She went on to qualify as a maths teacher through postgraduate study at Cambridge University. In order to assist her parents, Rae took a teaching post at Hatfield school because she was guaranteed housing as a key worker, she stayed for four years at the school living with her parents in the accommodation that she had secured for them. In 1960 Rae embarked on the biggest adventure of her life, sailing to Canada, where she had secured a teaching post at Alma College, St. Thomas, Ontario. After 3 years in Canada, Rae moved to the USA, to Vassar College, Poughkeepsie, New York. Rae enjoyed exploring the USA with her friends, even venturing down to Mexico by car. Rae decided to return to studying in 1967, embarking on a doctorate of Mathematics at the University of Wisconsin. Rae returned to the UK in 1970 and after staying with her sister, Dulce, in Kent for some time, she secured a teaching post at Midhurst Grammar School. She loved Midhurst and remained at the school for the rest of her career, having been promoted to Head of the Mathematics department. Midhurst remained her home until early 2023 when she relocated to a care home in Kent to be near the family. Rae enjoyed family visitors several times a week, as well as friends visiting on a regular basis. Rae kept up her love of cryptic crosswords in the care home, completing them with her niece each week. Rae also took part in many of the activities at the care home, despite being chair bound and latterly bed bound. These activities included a visit from a Shetland pony in her room! She was particularly pleased that she could meet once a month with her school friends on ZOOM (City of London Old Girls' Association, CLOGA).