Margaret Stocker was born on 21 February 1936 and died on 16 January 2024. Her funeral was at the Notre Dame convent on Woolton Road in Childwall, and the celebrant was Father Patrick O’Brien.

 

It was attended by fellow Sisters of Notre Dame, family, friends and former colleagues. She was buried at Our Lady and All Saints, Parbold. Margaret grew up in St Helens and was educated at Notre Dame High School.

 

She then trained as a teacher at Notre Dame College, Mount Pleasant, and read for a master’s degree in child development at the London Institute of Education. In teaching, her great legacy would come as head of the Nursery School and Infants at St Anne’s, Overbury Street.

 

She had had a brief spell there before moving on to Wigan Preparatory School and then Notre Dame Teacher Training College. From the 1970s until retirement in the 90s, Sr Margaret excelled in her headship back at St Anne’s where, in the fond recollection of former colleagues, she created “a place of peace and tranquillity and learning for both children and parents”.

 

Her first act as head was to remove the notice at the gate saying ‘No parents beyond this point’. Indeed, many parents would progress from adult literacy classes set up at St Anne’s to college and university degrees.

 

Her door was always open, and she championed parental involvement in the education of children and the whole family. When one visitor to the school complimented her on the beautiful plants in the foyer, Sr Margaret remarked: ‘It’s nothing to do with me. They were hired for your visit! I’m afraid I always manage to kill plants – but I do grow children.’ A Sister of Notre Dame for 65 years, she was a much-loved, modest, caring and determined educator.

 

She had a wonderfully bright personality, full of life, exuberance, and endless enthusiasm. She was a great communicator and an attentive listener. She touched the lives of generations of individuals, families and communities in Edge Hill, L7 and L8. May she rest in peace.