Mary Chapman, former depute headteacher at Meethill Primary School, Peterhead, has died aged 82.
Her entire teaching career was spent in Buchan, first at Fetterangus and then at Meethill.
She combined teaching with running the family farm at New Deer with her husband Harry, who was made an MBE in 2001 for services to his community.
When Harry died aged 87 in 2018, Mary continued to run the farm herself and never fully retired.
Mary was born in Turriff to mechanic Jimmy Duncan and his wife Mary Fraser.
When she was young the family moved to Maud where her father took over a garage.
Unusually for the time, her parents had travelled widely before Mary was born and had a spell living in Colombia where her father worked in the oil industry.
Living in a rural community she had grown up knowing her future husband, Harry, particularly through country dancing and the couple went on to marry and settle on the farm at New Deer.
Training
Mary was educated at Maud Primary School then Peterhead Academy before undertaking her teacher training in Aberdeen.
She also studied for a further year to gain qualifications to work with infants.
Her first teaching post was at Fetterangus and after a break to have daughters Linda and Alison, she joined the staff of the recently opened Meethill school in Peterhead.
Trips
She worked mainly with infants and will be remembered for thrilling pupils by bringing lambs into the classroom and taking pupils on trips to her farm.
Mary spent many years teaching at Meethill and had a spell supply teaching after she retired.
Two of her granddaughters have followed Mary into teaching. Carly Brunton is depute headteacher at Kellands primary in Inverurie where Cath Walker also teaches.
Activities
In retirement, Mary remained active entertaining friends at home, gardening, visiting family and learning new computer skills.
She had four grandchildren, Carly and Cath and Lara and Matthew Rydlewicz plus great-grandchildren Ollie, Harry, Elsie and Lachlan.