Dilys Coy has died of cancer, aged 56, after a successful career as a headteacher at Abbotsbury Primary School and councillor for Kingston's Old Malden Ward.

Dilys was born in Bolton in 1950 and went to Bolton Girls' Grammar School. She was immensely proud of her northern heritage, but in her early 20s moved to London to work as a researcher for the BBC.

After living in the area for nearly 20 years, Dilys was elected as a councillor for Old Malden Ward in 2002. She took a keen interest in children's issues while on the council and served on the Children, Youth and Culture Overview Panel. She was a passionate supporter of the Malden Manor Regeneration Project.

Also in 2002, Dilys was appointed headteacher at Abbotsbury.

It was a challenging time to take over because the school was beginning a large expansion project. Dilys steered the school through this transition with great care and professionalism, while maintaining important personal contact with the children. Her passion for theatre and the arts transmitted itself through the school and she was a keen supporter of all school dramatic productions.

Dilys had many outside interests, including a love of travelling and outdoor activities. It was while on a package holiday to Thailand in 2002 that she met her husband Brian. Over the following four years, Brian and she travelled extensively in Cambodia, China and Russia. They completed the Hanoi to Saigon bicycle ride twice and had planned to travel to India this Christmas.

Dilys had also recently taken up scuba diving as a hobby and travelled to Sharm-el-Sheikh last year to gain her diving qualifications.

She was diagnosed with cancer in July 2006 and married Brian in an emotional ceremony a month later. She died on September 7. Dilys is survived by her husband Brian and her two children.