POPULAR school teacher and fine artist from Abingdon Mary Dutton has died, age 94.

Mother and grandmother Mrs Dutton moved to the Oxfordshire town in 1965 with her husband and daughter. She became a teacher at Drayton Community Primary School, where she taught the reception class. She was also a keen member of Abingdon Artists.

She was regarded as a gifted artist, having turned down a place to study fine art at Reading University, and a lover of family life. She loved to cook and have her whole family around the table with her.

Mary Dutton (née Barfoot) was born on June 3,1921, in Dulwich, London, to parents Albert and Edith Barfoot.

She had one sister, Joan, 97, who lives in Abingdon.

When Joan’s husband died in 1997, she came to live with Mrs Dutton, and cared for her until the end of her life.

Mrs Dutton lived in Dulwich until she was 11, before moving to Reading with her family to stay with three elderly relatives.

She attended Thurlow Grange girls school in Dulwich from 1926 until 1932, then Kendrick School in Reading from 1932 to 1938.

She was offered a place at Reading University to study fine art, but as her parents could not afford the fees she ended up going to secretarial college.

Mrs Dutton worked in the Royal Signals during the years of the Second World War, where she met the man who would become her husband, Eric.

He was invalided out of the Royal Marines just before the end of the war, having been injured when his boat was torpedoed.

They married in June 1946, in Reading, and stayed together until his death in 1997.

The couple initially lived in London, where Eric was a teacher, but moved back to Reading to be with Mrs Dutton’s family.

They had one child, Jane, and moved to Malaysia after Mr Dutton successfully applied for a teaching post in 1951.

As Mr Dutton had to leave first to get to Malaysia, Mrs Dutton set out on the 9,000 mile journey via sea voyage with her baby daughter, having never been further than Bognor Regis.

On arrival, she decided to get a job and started work at the Malay Mail newspaper in Kuala Lumpur.

When the family returned to the UK, in 1956, Mrs Dutton worked as a part-time typist.

She trained as a teacher at Lady Spencer Churchill College, Oxford, after the family moved to Abingdon in 1965.

She later taught at Drayton Community Primary School, until retiring in 1980.

Her passion was working with children in the reception class, aged five, and creating art work and nature tables.

Mrs Dutton was regarded as a gifted artist, particularly in fashion. She made her own wedding dress and clothes for her daughter when she was young.

She was also a keen member of Abingdon Artists, being named Artist of the Month twice, and often showed her work at local exhibitions.

Aside from teaching and art, Mrs Dutton enjoyed playing badminton and bowls with Eric and they attended pottery classes together.

They also loved going on outings and travelling, both maintaining a keen interest in the world.

Mrs Dutton also loved to cook and have her family around the table. She especially loved Christmas.

She died on September 19, after a long struggle with Alzheimer’s disease. She is survived by her daughter, Jane, and her two step-grandchildren, Maya and Rosh.

A funeral service is due to take place at South Oxfordshire Crematorium tomorrow at 1pm.