Pieter Roos

MRS LETTIE KUHN, BORN NESER, DIED

(Obituary written by Uncle Jan Hendrik Coetzee)

Word has been received that Mrs Lettie Kuhn died in Pretoria at the age of 97.  Eighty years ago I attended school at Ermelo with Lettie Neser. I remember her as a slight girl with an old face. She was 17 and I was 2, but with some of the subjects we were included in the same class and with this I got to know her quite well. She was a hard worker and while attending this school received her Third Grade Teaching Diploma of the ZAR, she left the school to teach. Piet Roos who also attended school with Lettie, he also became a teacher. Piet was a good two years younger than Lettie, but they got married round about 1899 and I think that Lettie then became his assistant in the Krugersdorp district. With the declaration of war in 1899 Piet Roos joined the KNgersdorp-commando. He died early in 1900. Shortly after the death of her husband Lettie became a mother of a daughter whom later became a well-known teacher with the name of Pietjie Roos. After the War Lettie continued to teach – I think in the Wakkerstroom district. About 1923 1 received a copy of an employment from the Department of Teaching that a Mrs Aletta Kuhn has been employed as acting headmaster at school in Transvalia. When I visited the school I find out that Mrs Kuhn was my old school mate Lettie Neser, Piet Roos’ widow. I used my influence and she became headmaster of the school, I was never sorry about my decision.

Cornelius Uys who not so long ago came to stay in Ermelo as a retired teacher, was her assistant and was still a young man, but he was a hard worker and Mrs Kuhn knowledge helped him a lot.

One day a school inspector came by me after a visit of Transvalia school and told me: “I just came by to tell you that Mother and (Zoon-firma) excellent work do”.

Mrs Jan Oosthuizen that also gave school in her early days and who lived years near the Transvaiia School also talk with praise of Leitie. She told me that her son, Maninus, and Lettie’s own son. Japie Kuhn, from 1924 to 1931 went to school at Transvalia and so received their primary education under Lettie. After their matriculation at the high school in Ermelo, Japie Kuhn studied for an accountant and Martinus Oosthuizen studied business.

Japie Kuhn became a well known accountant and Martinus Oosthuizen is a director of the company, Stein Brothers in Johannesburg.

This way I just want to show that Lenie Kuhn, nee Neser, that was widow Roos, praiseworthy is.

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IN MEMORIAM

Friday afternoon at 3 o’clock I heard of a Dutch girl from the Red Cross at Modderspruit that was in Volksrust, she told that on Thursday in a hospital at Glencoe. a young man named Pieter Roos, died graciously. I went immediately to one of the nurses from that hospital for her help, to meet the girl. I was just in time to catch her at the station, as she was to depart in fifteen minutes time. I

was thus lucky 10 md out all about the death of my friend Piet.