She was a highly-respected teacher in Huddersfield for well over three decades.
And the message about Miss Rita Elizabeth Oldroyd was: “Don’t mess with her.”
Miss Oldroyd, who has died at the age of 83, joined the former Royds Hall Secondary School in the 1960s as a teacher of modern languages.
She went on to spend her entire career at the school, including 27 years as the deputy head teacher.
Miss Oldroyd, who was born in Holmfirth as the oldest of six children, spent all her life in the town.
She went to school at Parkhead and then the Holme Valley Grammar School before moving on to Manchester University.
She took degrees in modern languages and then gained her teacher training qualifications in Manchester.
She was also granted a bursary to study in the West Indies and spent time in Germany.
She was a key figure in the many Royds Hall trips to the continent and was also a travel courier for several firms, including the Examiner.
She was still accompanying coach trips to Blackpool just six months before her death.
Miss Oldroyd was also a highly-respecetd magistrate in Huddersfield, joining the bench in 1977 and serving for 25 years.
In that time she served as chairman of the adult and family court and chairman of the Youth Panel.
Throughout her life she was a member of the Methodist Church and was a lay preacher, but also attended Quaker services in Huddersfield.
Her hobbies were travel and photography.
Miss Oldroyd’s funeral is at 1.15pm on Friday, June 24, at Holmfirth Methodist Church, followed by a Quaker service at Park Wood Crematorium in Elland at 3pm.
