FAMILY and friends of a state-honoured educator who touched the lives of thousands in Winsford have being paying their final respects.

Donald West was admired throughout Cheshire and the British education system as the long-serving headteacher of Verdin High School.

On Monday, July 1, civic dignitaries, former colleagues and pupils celebrated the life of a cricket-loving Yorkshireman, who remained a proud, adopted Winsfordian.

A loving husband and father of two, Donald served in India during the Second World War, before a distinguished teaching career saw him recognised with a CBE.

Speaking at the funeral, his grandson, Christopher, said: “It is amazing to think that he had been retired for 30 years.

“Donald was always a strong reader with an excellent memory.

“He would annoy his children and check out girls at supermarkets with quotes from the classics, prefaced by ‘as you know’, and followed by some obscure line from Milton or Shakespeare.

“Donald was a strong supporter of Winsford, even though he would have preferred it to be in Yorkshire!

“He and Drusilla, his wife, attended St Chad’s until a number of years ago.

“He loved the antiquity of the building and wanted to be buried in its churchyard with views over the Cheshire countryside he so loved. Today he has his wish.”

Obituary Donald was born in April 1918 in Scarborough, North Yorkshire.

Attending Scarborough High School, he grew up in a house that bordered onto the cricket ground.

He and brother Derek quickly developed a passion for the sport and later in life the pair would write articles for the Cricketer magazine.

In 1936 he won an exhibition to Pembroke College, Cambridge to study history.

War followed the completion of his degree, and with his newly developed socialist leanings Donald ignored the traditional route into army officer class and joined the ranks.

Happenchance intervened and Donald later took the opportunity to become a junior officer in the Royal Artillery.

He was posted to India during the conflict, and would later mention his time recuperating from malaria in a Burmese hospital.

At university, Donald had wanted to become a vicar, but war changed his view.

He returned to England and met his wife, Drusilla, in Scarborough.

The couple were married in 1947 and Drusilla remained a constant support to her husband during a long and distinguished career, which began with teaching jobs in Northampton and Handsworth, Birmingham.

He was appointed Head of Verdin Grammar School in 1958 where he remained until his retirement in 1983.

Under Donald’s guidance, Verdin Grammar built up a strong academic record, sending large numbers of sixth formers to universities across the country.

A staunch supporter of the grammar school tradition, it was to Donald’s surprise that he was asked to lead Cheshire’s march into the new world of comprehensive education.

This initially involved the merger of the grammar and secondary modern schools, and for a time Donald was head of the largest state school in the country.

The change was heralded a success, and highlighted as a model for others to follow.

In 1978, Donald was awarded a CBE for services to education, proudly visiting Buckingham Palace with his family.

In his retirement, Donald enjoyed a family life full of travel. He wrote about his walks through Cheshire’s countryside, as well as his old love – cricket.

Donald died aged 95 on June 20 at his home.

He is survived by wife Drusilla, their two children, Rosemary and Michael, and two grandchildren, Caroline and Christopher.

Funeral donations to St Luke’s Cheshire Hospice.