Vera M. Hintzen's Obituary
Vera Malfalda Hintzen
November 21st, 1925 – October 17th, 2013
Vera Malfalda Hintzen (nee Khan) was born on November 21st, 1925 in the plantation village of Diamond Estate on the East Bank of the Demerara River in Guyana (then British Guiana), South America. Her mother, Edith Lovell worked as a domestic laborer on the plantation. Her father, El Hussein (Buddy) Khan owned and ran a small bus company in East Bank, Demerara. She attended Diamond Government Elementary School and graduated with a School Leaving Certificate in the seventh grade (Sixth Standard). She immediately was recruited as a teacher’s apprentice (Pupil Teacher) at Broad Street Government School (then the only government elementary school in the capital city of Georgetown). As a pupil teacher, she took and passed annual examinations and, after earning her teaching certification, became a kindergarten teacher while continuing her teacher training by enrolling in the Teachers Training College in Guyana, graduating with the equivalent of a B.A. in Education and qualifying for teaching administration. While at Broad Street government school, in addition to her classroom teaching, she developed a specialization in the choreography of an English dance form for girls called the maypole. She choreographed and directed performances during the month of May at the school’s “May Fair.” The maypole dances became legendary, attracting a wide audience. She left Broad Street Government School in the nineteen sixties to take up a post of headmistress (Principal) of a small school in the interior of the country on the Pomeroon River in the county of Essequibo. She subsequently became the headmistress at Wakenaam Government School in Essequibo County. In the nineteen seventies, she was promoted to Headmistress of Wales Government School on the West Bank of the Demerara river– an important school serving a very large region close to the capital city of Georgetown. She was popular and well known, well respected, and well-liked, teaching many from all sectors of Guyanese society. She developed a reputation for her insistence on discipline coupled with extraordinary kindness and compassion. Her dedication to her students, even in their adult years, was legendary. And she loved children. She retired in 1980 and moved to California, then to New York City where she continued working with children. She spent the last twelve years of her life in Berkeley and Oakland where she passed away.
Vera was the eldest of four children. She survived her brother, Neville Khan, and her sisters Shiroon Khan and Tricy Peters, all deceased. She was married to Percival Hintzen and together they had one son, Percy, her only child. She was, since her younger days, the matriarch of the family after the passing of her mother in 1957. All of her siblings and their children at one time or another lived in her household.
Vera was also well known for her accomplishments outside of teaching. She undertook a course of study in pastry making and cake decorating and she developed these into a “sideline” business, decorating cakes and making pastries for weddings, christenings and other celebratory events.
Vera is survived by her son, Percy and his wife, Joan, by her grandchildren Ian, Shawn, and Candace, and by her grandchild, Cayden. She was adored by her numerous nieces and nephews Edith, Carol Jennifer, Carol, Freddie, Jillian, Mark, Phillip, Robert, Bonita, Jean, Hazel, Michael, Andrew (Deceased: Courtney, Gregory, and Orin). She developed strong friendships in the various communities in which she lived in Guyana, Northern California, and New York City. She was loved for her sense of fun and for her the joy she received from entertaining others. She passed away peacefully.
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