Eleanor (Hughes) Liddiard

Lin was born on November 4, 1939 in the picturesque village of Llandrillo in the county of Merionethshire, North Wales. She was the eighth of nine children, with seven sisters and one brother. She attended the village school in Llandrillo and received her General Education Certificate in 10 subjects at the Bala Grammar School for Girls.

Having decided early on that she would like to be a teacher, Lin earned her Teaching Certificate from the Wrexham Training College in 1960. After a one-year teaching position at the Cilcan village school near Mold, Lin ventured outside of her native Wales for the first time to nearby Liverpool where she taught at the St Silas School from 1962 to 1966.

One fortuitous night in Liverpool, Lin attended a dance with her fellow teachers. Radiant in her red dress, Lin met Jim, her future husband, who had left his native South Africa to work in England. They were married on December 31st 1966 with the entire village of Llandrillo in attendance, and there began their story of love and commitment that was to grow and blossom for over 56 years. Following a short honeymoon in Ireland, the couple moved to Witbank, a small coal mining town about 100 miles from Johannesburg, South Africa. Lin and Jim welcomed their first child, Sian, on February 26th, 1969 and their son, Dylan, on January 25th, 1971. By this time, the family had moved to Roodepoort, a gold mining suburb of Johannesburg. Lin always had fond memories of their home in Cowies Hill, where she learned to make Indian curries and South African dishes, and met wonderful people who would become her lifelong friends.

In 1977, the family emigrated from South Africa to Venezuela. In Coro, Lin learned to speak Spanish, her fourth language after Welsh, English, and French. She enjoyed teaching English to her circle of Venezuelan friends, and traveling to Machu Picchu, Aruba, Curacao, Brazil and Argentina. Each summer, the family would return to Wales to visit Lin's family. She always remained very proud of her Welsh heritage, and it was important to Lin to share her love of Wales with her family.

When Jim found a job with an American company in 1981, the family relocated to Cupertino for one year, and then to Hong Kong. Always quick to make friends, Lin made lasting connections with ex-pats and enjoyed traveling to Australia, New Zealand and Thailand. After living in Hong Kong for 4 years Jim had the opportunity to return to the US in 1984.

In 1984 the family moved to the Bay Area where they finally settled. Lin's family grew, as Sian married David Trager, and Dylan married Paula Araldi. Lin had three grandchildren, Megan, Ally, and Steven, who became the centers of her life. Lin and Jim continued their love of travel, visiting their native Wales and South Africa many times, and introducing their grandchildren to their respective hometowns. They also visited many Caribbean islands, many European countries, Canada, Bali, Oman, and her favorite, the Seychelles.

Lin enjoyed nothing more than having her family around her and was always available to help with babysitting or school activities, and to participate in all of her grandchildren's many adventures. Lin was active in the Welsh club, church boutique and enjoyed crafts and the camaraderie that she found there. She was an active volunteer, master knitter, crossword solver, talented cook and enjoyed yoga and walks with her friends. She is deeply loved and will be greatly missed. She is survived by her husband, James H. Liddiard, her daughter, Sian Trager, her son, Dylan Liddiard, her son-in-law, Dr. David Trager, her daughter-in-law, Paula Liddiard, and her grandchildren, Dr. Megan Trager, Alexandra Liddiard, and Steven Trager.

Memorial Services will be held at the West Valley Presbyterian Church, 6191 Bolllinger Rd., Cupertino on Saturday, February 25th at 2pm.

In lieu of flowers, please send donations to the St.Jude Children's Research fund, stjude.org.

Published in Los Gatan · February 20, 2023