My neighbour Phyl Custerson, who has died aged 99, was a primary school teacher known for her remarkable sense of adventure and lifelong love of learning.
Born in Nottingham, to Ethel (nee Horne), a cook, and Thomas Custerson, who was in the Marines during the Boer war and later an office caretaker, Phyl left school at 14 to support her mother and younger sister because the only family income was a small war pension. She worked in Player’s cigarette factory, then at Chilwell army depot, sending messages between military bases in morse code.
In 1945 she accompanied evacuees back home to the Channel Islands, and the year after she travelled to Germany, on a Youth Hostel Association (YHA) programme working with German youth, rebuilding relationships. She stayed with a family near Munich and returned several times in the following years, acquiring fluency in German and a love of the country’s folk songs.
On her return to Nottingham, Phyl worked at Boots and gained her higher national certificate through their adult education scheme. She went on to train as a primary school teacher at Padgate College in Warrington, and then taught in Salford, Denton and Greater Manchester.
Phyl loved music and Handel’s Messiah in particular. She became friends with near neighbours the conductor Sir John Barbirolli and his wife, the oboist Evelyn Barbirolli, in Rusholme, Manchester, where Phyl lived for more than 60 years until her death. She attended the Eisteddfod every year, and sang in Llangollen, Denbighshire, with the Padgate College choir.
Despite several physical challenges, she travelled extensively in the UK and Europe, but never by air. She never owned a television, but had a comprehensive grasp of current affairs. Her encyclopedic knowledge of both BBC Radio 3 and 4 schedules, as well as local bus routes and timetables, served her well as she continued to study and master woodwork. She also went hiking and youth hostelling regularly, and was an active member of many associations, including the Stockport Macular Society, which she joined when her sight began to fail. In 2018 she was celebrated as the oldest member of the over-50s YHA.
Her friends recall her sense of adventure, genuine interest in others, humour and lifelong love of learning. Phyl was teetotal, a great conversationalist and excellent company. She made and maintained friendships wherever she went. Her flat was a living museum packed with books, documents and objects collected and treasured over her lifetime. She had a story for every one of them.
