We are very sorry to notify you of the passing of Patricia who was an Art Teacher at the School from 1999 until 2008.

Patricia sadly passed away on 19th April, her funeral, in Exeter, will take place on 13th May.

We are conscious that some people who knew Patricia during her time at the School may not be in contact with us and we would be very grateful if you could pass on this information to those that you know.

As is usual practice, we would like to place an obituary for Patricia in the 2024-25 OI Journal. If you know of any stories or memories which you can pass on to us so we can put them together for the publication we would be most grateful. Please address any contributions to me through oldipswichians@ipswich.school

Sally Webber
OI Chair

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Thank you for the opportunity to share some memories of Mrs Hann who taught me art in the early 2000s.

Navigating my place in the world during my late teens and early twenties was, at times, a struggle. Mrs Hann, who taught me art in the early 2000s, was a beacon of warmth and encouragement during sixth form, my gap year and the beginning of my architecture training.  Patricia lived on the same street as my parents meaning I could pop in for a cuppa during university holidays and it was on these visits I got to know her husband, Richard. A happy memory was sitting with them in their beautiful walled garden on a sunny afternoon, with a pot of tea and a generous slice of lemon drizzle cake. They spoke so fondly of their daughter who also went to architecture school and was living in Australia. Without knowing it, their pride in her inspired me to continue with my studies during a period of self-doubt and for this, I will always be grateful. It is an honour to have been her pupil and benefit from her passion for art and textiles. On a few occasions I was welcomed to join her evening textile class that she ran from her home studio. Much like how she taught at school, these workshops were fun and featured mixed media with plenty of colour. In fact, it was one of these evenings that gave me an alibi when the Ivry Street school gates were painted pink – at the time of the crime, I had been with her felting wool! When she moved to Exeter, our contact became more sporadic, but I was able to share the happy news that I had become a mother. I contacted her last week to tell her about our second child and was told the news of her passing. It is a great loss to the world, but she has left her artistic imprint on so many people, and I hope her family gets some comfort to know that her creativity lives on.

Pippa Jacob OI 2001-03