Constance Suzette Vulliamy (Sue) Coote. R.I.P.
Sue Coote was born on 20th February 1920 at Dun Laoghaire (Kingstown), Co Dublin, the third of four surviving children to Jay and Constance Ryan. Her mother was English, a granddaughter of an Anglican bishop who in turn was descended from Huguenot refugees; and her father was Jay Ryan, an opera singer (baritone) who was an associate of Count John McCormack.When Sue was seven, the family moved to London where they lived in Bayswater, in the parish of St. Mary of the Angels. She later attended the Oratory Convent School.
When war broke out in 1939 Sue was working for the Customs and Excise and her department was evacuated to Buxton in Derbyshire, where she met her future husband Robert (Bob) Coote. Bob joined the RAF in 1940, spending several years abroad and on his return they married in 1946. After living in Worthing, Sussex for a few years, the family moved back to the London area in 1953, settling in East Molesey, Surrey.
Although kept busy with their four children, Sue always took an active interest in parish life at the local church of St Barnabas. With Bob also becoming increasingly involved in parish social life and raising money for the church (just as he helped later with the Latin Mass Society, despite being a non-Catholic), family life became inextricably linked with that of the parish – both spiritually and socially. She was always involved in church cleaning, catering for parish events, arranging annual school outings and a number of pilgrimages. In those years the parish priest relied a good deal on both Bob and Sue to assist in the parish. Sue was president of the Union of Catholic Mothers for a number of years.
Her energy was indefatigable. She continued as an active member of the UCM, and for years she and Bob bought the Christmas presents for the parish school children on behalf of the UCM; she supervised ‘Children’s day’ collections; helped set up a local ‘Life’ group when the bishop asked for action to combat abortion, and organised Parliamentary lobbying of M.Ps. Much of this work was carried through at a time when she was suffering from Meniere’s Disease, a condition that lasted for a number of years in the 1970s. .
When the changes in the Church began in the 1960s, Sue became very concerned and joined the Latin Mass Society in 1966 while still being very active in parish affairs. For a while she continued to belong to the parish choir, determined that singing the Mass in Latin should continue once a month (albeit in later years in the new rite), and that there was always one Latin Mass each week at St Barnabas. She was elected to the committee of the Latin Mass Society in 1970, became temporary treasurer, then assistant Secretary in 1974 to Miss Iris Roper, and then Secretary from 1976. During the very difficult days of the 1970s and 1980s Sue represented the Society brilliantly. She put our case firmly, courteously, untiringly and, not least, courageously in the face of unbridled hostility from many quarters. Sue was dealt a crushing blow in 1993 when her beloved Bob died. She continued as Secretary to the Society but the onset of ill health in 1994 made it impossible for her to continue.
The most enduring memory of Sue Coote for many was her relaxed and cheerful personality, epitomised, perhaps, by a wonderful twinkle in her eyes when relating some humorous or mischievous event. During Committee Meetings, or at the AGM, or when writing to priests and Bishops or visiting them, even those most hostile to the Traditional Mass, she would always remain calm even when she would have been perfectly justified in becoming irritable or even angry. Her life was dedicated to the Church, the Mass and to the Society. Her work as Secretary was, in fact, a full time job. When one task was completed another arose to take its place. It was her good fortune, and even more so the good fortune of the Society, that she always received the complete support of Bob and her family in her apostolate even though this took up so much of the time that she could otherwise have devoted to them.
Sue was also loved and admired throughout the International Federation. She was one of the most popular delegates to the bi-annual General Assembly and was thought of most highly by its leading and most longstanding members, not least the President, Dr Eric de Saventhem, and his wife Elizabeth.
After her retirement she continued to support the society. However, her health soon deteriorated, and she needed nursing care for more than five years. Even through her long illness she retained her strong sense of humour. She also retained her love of music, having been brought up in a household filled with singing; and although her last weeks were largely spent confined to her room, she was able to listen to radio and tapes – more recently of Christmas Carols.
It is impossible for the Latin Mass Society to repay the debt it owes Sue Coote for the magnificent and untiring work she did on behalf of its members. The contacts she built up in Rome and worldwide, and the esteem in which she was held proved invaluable in advancing the cause of the traditional Mass. Her memory for names, dates, times and documentation was extraordinary. On her retirement in 1994, Michael Davies commented that if the old rites returned to our altars then it would probably owe more to Sue than to anyone else in the United Kingdom.
Sue’s Requiem took place in Brompton Oratory on 14th January. The Latin Mass Society was represented by its Chairman David Lloyd, and Secretary Damien Ashby. The International Una Voce Federation was represented by Michael Davies, President, and Leo Darroch, Secretary.
[Taken from the Latin Mass Society's February 2002 Newsletter.]