EMINENT Bluffite, Josephine Du Bois, who produced more than 35 musical productions for charity died on Monday, 4 May, aged 86.
Born in 1929, Josephine moved to Brighton Beach in 1953, with her husband, Les.
Over the years, she became well loved and respected as a music teacher, organist and producer of musical productions. From 1969 to 2010, she produced more than 35 of these musicals, raising thousands of rands for charity.
The pinnacle of her career in this field was her production of Galaxy in 1979, which saw her, the cast and band flown to South West Africa to perform for the national servicemen on the border.
Her son, Duncan Du Bois said in her heyday, Josephine had a repertoire of over 100 songs, which she could play from memory and which proved the staple of the numerous occasions when her band played at weddings, birthdays, staff parties and New Years’ Eve dances.
“She thrived on hosting dinner parties at her home and never a weekend went by without friends or family enjoying her hospitality and her cooking and baking. Beyond the kitchen and her world of music, she was also a busy gardener. Flowers and vegetables from her garden were always available – visitors seldom went home without a generous supply,” said Duncan.
He added that of all her qualities, generosity was her hallmark. “She was generous to a fault, whether she was dealing with her maid, family members or a stranger. Any attempt to decline her offering was met with the cogent retort: ‘But I want you to have it’,” he said.
Sadness marked her final years, as she succumbed to Alzheimers disease and dementia, with her final three months spent in a frail care home. The mother of Duncan, Denise, Trevor and Basil; grandmother of Paul, Gregory, Byron, Charlotte, Christian and Morgan and great grandmother of Ethan, Claire, James and Riley will be missed.
Her funeral will be at St Francis Xavier Catholic Church in Sormany Road at 11am on Friday, 15 May.
