A SCHOOL governor and former RE teacher has died at the age of 78.

Cathrine O'Neill, who was a governor at Carmel College, died on January 16 following a short illness.

She taught at the Catholic school in Darlington until 1997 when she retired after 37 years of teaching, and had been a governor since then.

Carmel Education Trust Chief Executive Officer Maura Regan said: "She was also a governor of St Teresa's and a committed parishioner.

"Cath represented all that is good in this world and truly embodied the phrase 'Faith in Action'.

"She lived a life of service and humility and the world is a poorer place at her passing.

"A personal friend of mine, at this time, I am reminded of the phrase in Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan: “So 'she' passed over and all the trumpets sounded for 'her' on the other side.”

"There will be great celebrations in heaven and trumpets will sound to greet Cath and to reward her for a life of loyalty, sacrifice and Christian Service.”

Miss O'Neill also taught at the former Larchfield Street School and the Immaculate Conception School, a Catholic girls' grammar which merged to become Carmel.

Tributes were paid on Facebook with former pupils sharing their memories of a kind teacher with a 'wicked sense of humour'.

Miss O'Neill was head of RE but was said to also teach science and some French, and was described by a colleague as 'a first-rate pastoral teacher'.

She was said to be very religious and was active in St Teresa's Parish and St Teresa's School as well as in Carmel, devoting her life to Catholic education and to the church.

Miss O'Neill is survived by her cousins Mary, Graham, Anthony, Adrian and all her friends.

Her funeral takes place with her body being received into St Teresa's Church, Harris Street, Darlington at 4.30pm on Monday, February 4, followed by a Requiem Mass the next morning at 10am on Tuesday, February 5.

This will be followed by interment at North Cemetery, off North Road.

Donations in lieu of flowers can be given after the service for a memorial window at St Teresa's Church.