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Teacher who brought sport success has died
Norman Baker pictured first on the right on the back row with his team of young footballers and with his wife Molly
A teacher who will be remembered by hundreds of pupils for starting a successful football team and leading many happy school trips will be buried today.
Norman Barker, of Rothwell, who taught at Kettering Central School and Kettering Grammar School for 30 years, died last Thursday aged 80.
His son James Barker, 50, said: “He was a good teacher. He always had time to listen to people.”
Mr Barker moved from Sheffield to take his first job as a history teacher at Central School in 1955.
He taught at the school, which was later replaced by St Andrew’s Primary School, until it closed in 1962, when he moved to the grammar school.
As well as teaching history and economics at the school, Mr Barker started the school’s football team.
The team played all over the country and under Mr Barker as coach they won the Mobbs Cup.
A keen outdoors man, Mr Barker took pupils on regular field trips to as far afield as Cairngorm in Scotland and Govilon in Wales and led them in outdoor pursuits.
James, who was taught by his father, said: “He took them on trips that without him they would never have gone on.”
After retiring in 1985, Mr Barker and his wife, Molly, travelled the world, and enjoyed taking many caravan holidays.
He combined his twin loves of sport and travel by following his beloved England cricket team around the world.
An active Freemason, Mr Barker served as master of Cytringan Lodge in Kettering.
He was also a church warden at Holy Trinity Church in Rothwell and a member of the church council.
Mr Barker met Molly on St George’s Day in 1957.
The couple had three children – Eleanor, James and Susan – and six grandchildren – Theo, Stephane, Emily, Tom, Bethan and Charlotte.
James said: “My dad would talk to anybody because he was very knowledgable, but he never had a bad word to say about anybody.
“He saw the good in everybody.”
Mr Barker’s funeral will be held at Holy Trinity Church in Rothwell from 12.30pm.
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