Obituary: Renie Tribe, For Many Years A Teacher In Guildford

Published on: 27 Sep, 2026
Updated on: 27 Sep, 2026

Renie Tribe

Renie Tribe, a well-known Guildford teacher and once an active member of St Francis Church in Westborough, has died at the Royal Surrey at the age of 98.

Irene Margaret Tribe, always known as Renie, was born in Farnham in 1928 – the only child of Eva Margaret Annie (Maggie) and Leonard Simpson. Her mother was postmistress in Ewshot and her father a member of the Royal Corps of Signals and an employee at Dennis Motors.

Renie lived with her parents in Midleton Road, Guildford, and spent weekends and holidays with her grandparents in Heath End, where she helped her father and grandfather in the large garden, also learning to knit and sew from her mother and grandmother.

She was 11 years old when the Second World War broke out and at 14 she became a St John’s Ambulance cadet, volunteering with her father, who was a local First Aid Person. The family opened their two-bed terrace home to evacuees, which made Renie a “big sister” for a while. At 17 she worked at Shepherd’s Hill nursery, which cemented in her the desire to be a teacher.

At 18 she won a place at a teacher training college in Kingston. There she met Margaret Quayle from Liverpool, a friendship that lasted for 80 years. She remained in teacher mode for the rest of her life: meticulously organised and a dedicated writer of lists .

After college she returned to Guildford and was appointed as the nursery and reception teacher at St Nicolas Church of England School.

Renie met David Tribe at St Francis Church while she was teaching Sunday school, and they married in 1952. Their first daughter Judith was born the following year, with Gillian arriving nearly five years later. Meanwhile David was advancing his career as an agricultural auctioneer and valuer.

When both daughters went off to Godalming Grammar School, she ran St Francis Playgroup for many years along with a loyal group of volunteers. In doing this together, they supported young parents in the community by providing them with essential childcare.

Both Judith and Gillian subsequently trained as teachers and when Gillian left for college, Renie returned to teaching part-time at Wood Street Primary school until her retirement.

Renie was a founder member of St Francis Young Wives, which eventually matured into the Women’s Fellowship. Her time was also spent volunteering at the Royal Surrey Hospital shop and Cards for Good Causes at St Nicolas church.

She loved to know what was going on and actively involved herself in the lives of her two daughters, five grandchildren and eight great grandchildren. As a couple Renie and David were regular churchgoers, and St Francis Church and Guildford Cathedral were at the centre of their lives.

In 1977 Renie, David and Gillian moved from the family home in Beckingham Road to Devon Bank in Guildford, with Renie’s mother and father moving into the adjoining granny flat. Renie became the treasurer of the informal residents group and they enjoyed the next four decades there.

In retirement Renie and David travelled the length and breadth of the UK by coach, occasionally venturing abroad on cruises and making some lasting friendships along the way. They were married for 62 years. After David died in December 2014 Renie relied on her family that lived locally.

Over the next couple of years, her mobility declined and she eventually took the decision to move from her home in Devon Bank to a flat in Farncombe. Several happy years passed at Meadrow Court until her health took a further decline.

Renie died peacefully on September 4 in the Royal Surrey. Her funeral will be held at Guildford Cremation at 3pm on Thursday, October 8.