Dorothy Bulloch died peacefully at Winchester's Royal Hampshire County Hospital after a long and active life - of which the last 40 years were spent in Alresford.

She was born in Edgbaston in 1920.As a child, she was an avid reader and later, with encouragement from her convent school, gained a place at Birmingham University. On leaving university, she entered her lifelong career in teaching.

During the war , Dorothy took up her first post at a convent in Croydon during the day and went on firewatching duties at night. An engagement to an RAF pilot came to naught when the parachute material he sent for a wedding dress from the Far East was made up into a ballgown!

She met her husband, Stuart, by chance whilst visiting the Angel Hotel in Guildford and surprisingly agreed to see him again - despite the fact that he kept a kipper for his supper in his pocket.

On Stuart's retirement in 1963 the family moved to Alresford and Dorothy had to adapt to a very different lifestyle from suburban Surrey.

She continued teaching upon moving to Hampshire, at Aldershot County High School, where she taught Classics and pioneered the introduction of careers guidance. She was always proud of directing the first female environmental health officer into her career.

In her free time Dorothy was an active member of the tennis club at Perin's School and Alresford Twinning Association - occasionally finding the time to join Stuart and the other regulars at the bar of The Swan Hotel.

Always well-prepared, she started playing golf before she retired and pursued the game with enthusiasm as a member of Alresford Golf Club. Any and every sport interested her - from cricket to football - she was even a keen supporter of Liverpool Football Club.

Retirement enabled her to develop her community interests and, with others, she introduced neighbourhood watch to Alresford and later became a lay visitor for Hampshire Police.

As a parish councillor, she campaigned long and hard to get a venue for young people in The Dean and for the right for the public to speak at council meetings.

She had a wide circle of friends in and around Alresford whom she was always ready to help. She particularly enjoyed the company of her four grandchildren.

Dorothy, a widow for many years, became ill in July after a typically hectic week that saw her play nine holes of golf in addition to a coach trip to Weymouth.

However, she tackled her illness with typical fortitude and was always more interested in her visitors' news than her own increasing incapacity.