GRAAFF-REINET NEWS - Friends and loved ones bid farewell to a true lady of the Karoo, with the passing of Graaff-Reinet stalwart Nancy ‘Nan’ Kingwill on 1 May.

Kingwill, born Rubidge, would’ve celebrated her 96th birthday on 31 May. She was laid to rest on 7 May, in the grave of her beloved husband Walter, in the family gravesite on the family farm Blaauwater. 

Nancy’s grandson, Alistair Kingwill, said a beautiful blessing at the graveside, and the pallbearers were Justin and Alistair Kingwill, and Gabriel Hair (grandchildren), Robert Rubidge and Mike Murray (nephews) and Lionel de la Harpe.

A service was held in the farm shearing shed, a fitting and beautifully rustic setting for the funeral, prepared by grandson Justin Kingwill and his wife Liesl, as well as Nancy’s son Charles Kingwill and wife Garry. 

Those in attendance included Nancy’s three daughters Diana Hollis (from Knysna), with her daughter, Nan’s granddaughter, Megan (from Cape Town), Rosalie Kingwill Pickering (from Cape Town) and Cal Kingwill (from Cape Town), with her son and Nancy’s grandson Gabriel, who prepared lovely leaflets and a programme, and organised music to accompany hymns sung during the service.

Lockdown restrictions only allowed for a small but dignified gathering, with close family, relations, friends, carers and associates unable to attend. This includes three grandchildren, Peter, Adam and Anna, who live abroad. However, beautiful tributes to honour Nancy were received from across the country and abroad, which were read out at the service.

“Everyone who met her was immediately struck by her dignity and grace but, more than those impressive qualities, what resonated with those who knew her was her warmth, humour and bright intelligence,” wrote grandson Adam Pickering from Guernsey Island.

The family expressed their gratitude to family members and friends who were able to travel to Blaauwater from Bloemfontein, Cradock, St Francis Bay and Graaff-Reinet and surrounds.

Nancy, remembered for her intelligence and love of literature (with a knack for quoting Shakespeare), passed matric at the tender age of 15, and attended Rhodes University and the University of Cape Town to become a teacher. She would later teach at Grey High School, Collegiate Girls’ High School and Gelvandale High School.

While working in Port Elizabeth, she met Walter. The couple married in 1947, and raised four children. Together, they served South Africa for 12 years, when Walter was elected as a Member of Parliament, and Nancy helped write his speeches and did his secretarial work. They commuted between Cape Town, Port Elizabeth and Blaauwater during this time.

“When I think of Nan, I see a beautiful, well-dressed lady, loved by all she came in contact with,” read nephew Robert Rubidge in a moving tribute at the service. Many tributes also mentioned Nancy’s pink bicycle with a basket attached, which she rode elegantly to do shopping or visit friends.

The Kingwill family thanked Parsonage Home for caring for Nancy for five years, with particular mention to Ria Pretorius, Hillary Hewson, Kathy du Toit and Liz Savage, and Dr Willie Pieterse for many years of dedicated and compassionate tending to her medical needs. The family also expressed their gratitude to Vicky Brummer and son for providing undertaking services, to Archdeacon Dr Mark Marais for conducting the funeral service, and for splendid roses from Sophia’s Roses, Murraysburg, charmingly arranged by Nan’s daughter, Cal Kingwill.

Nancy is survived by her children Charles Kingwill, Diana Hollis, Rosalie Kingwill and Cal Kingwill, seven grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren.

Excerpts from family tributes to Nancy:

Grandchild Peter Hollis, from Perth, Australia:
Nan was the epitome of a role model, an enormous positive and guiding influence and the centre of many, many happy memories. From holidays spent riding Nan’s strawberry-pink bicycle, playing in Mr Nothling’s orchard and visiting the Bokkie Park, to making porridge in the hotbox and putting calamine lotion on the mosquito bites. Nan was always ready to help out with schoolwork, where her talent for language was inspiring - from poetry in 8th grade to Shakespeare in 11th grade, always earning me marks I could only dream of, and making my teachers verwonder.

In all she did, Nan was an inspiration, and dearly loved. Her smile was always genuine and her singing always brought happiness. She will be deeply missed.

Grandchild Megan Hollis:
Some of my most treasured memories were of family holidays spent at 82 Somerset Street with Nan and Grandpa. The five little cousins, or custards as we liked to call ourselves, really made ourselves at home on these holidays. If we weren’t thundering down the long passage, we were clambering on the furniture shouting “don’t touch the floor”. 

When we tired of that, we loved playing the warmer-colder game with grandpa, having rowdy watermelon pip fits on the lawn or insisting on making yet another hot water bottle cover on Nan’s knitting machine. Nan never once told us to keep quiet, but instead happily indulged us – helping us bake, letting us wash her car and always singing to us. After lunch, she would often give us ice cream in a cone – which we would rush outside with – eager to sing into our cone as though we were on Idols and the poor residents of Somerset Street our audience.

 How lucky were we to have a gran that felt more like a friend to laugh, cry, gossip, tan and sing with – we absolutely adore you and will miss you every day.

 Grandchild Anna Pickering, from Paris, France:
Nan always embodied the qualities I admire the most: humility, resilience and grace. Ever humble despite her obvious intelligence, her many skills, her encyclopedic knowledge of English literature. Resilient in the face of hardship and loss. Gracious in every circumstance, even when surely us grandkids would have tested even the most saintly person's patience. Stealing the Nothlings' fruit just to sell it back to her at a princely sum, using every precious ingredient in her kitchen to concoct a ghastly "cake", asking her to take us on driving lessons only to speed through every Graaff-Reinet stop sign. I can still hear her laughter at our antics.

I can still see Nan standing in my doorway, smiling to see me tucked into bed, singing "See you in the morning...". And now we won't see you again in the morning, Nan. But we will sing, cry, love and be merry in memory of you.

 Former son-in-law Judge Jeremy Pickering, from Makhanda: 

In later years, after Wally had died and Nan had moved to Bourke Court, I would arrange to be allocated the High Court circuit duties in Graaff-Reinet on a regular basis so that I could stay for a week or two with Nan. I loved those weeks, not least for the roast lamb and wine which Nan, as generous as ever, insisted I must have to get my strength up after my days in the criminal court and for our long chats about all sorts of topics. Thinking of those days I remember in particular how amused Nan was by a sketch by the comedian Peter Cook which I was reading at the time where a one-legged man was auditioning for the role of Tarzan. Cook put it to him that he was 'somewhat deficient in the leg department' but that if they ever needed a one-legged Tarzan they would be sure to contact him. Whenever I think of that sketch I think of Nan and her laughter.

Nan was so many things to me but first and foremost, despite our generational differences, she was my friend. I will miss her.

Nephew Bruce Rubidge, Johannesburg:
I recall, when I was very young, often staying at Blaauwater when my parents had to go away for a few days for a ram sale or whatever, and what fun and how grand it was to stay in a double story house. Both your [Nancy and Walter] were always very kind to us, and I remember once, when getting back to Wellwood asking my mom why she was not as kind as Nan, because Nan never smacked us.

When I went to Stellenbosch University, I boarded with Professor Edmunds, who asked me if I was related to Nancy Rubidge as she had taught him at Grey. She clearly made a huge impression as he later continued to do his doctorate on Shakespeare. While at Stellenbosch, I often used to pop in at St Martini Gardens in Cape Town, and Nan always insisted on my staying for supper or lunch or whatever meal was closest. My one great regret was that I never followed up on your [Walter’s] invitation to attend a parliamentary sitting while they were there.

Torr family (nephew and nieces), from Pretoria and Durban:

Nan was a gracious and much-loved aunt with a great sense of humour.

We have warm and loving memories of her.

'We bring you the latest Graaff-Reinet, Karoo news'