Kathleen writes: I was born in County Durham on 16 October 1928, to parents Tom and Lilian Davidson. I had a weak chest as a child, and my mother was concerned about me due to my dad’s family background. My dad’s grandmother died of tuberculosis. Both my parents were teachers, and I was home-schooled up to the age of 6. I started taking piano lessons from the age of 8, and loved the piano and music in general for the rest of my life. I did well in my piano exams. For my Grade 7 I gained the highest mark of any student out of three counties. I started to teach piano lessons privately from the early age of 16. I studied for a diploma in piano teaching for several years, and continued to be a private piano teacher.

Aged 29, I made a sudden decision to make a career shift, by taking up office work. In those days, the types of employment that a woman would consider were limited.  To this end, I enrolled on an advanced course in typing and shorthand, after which I started working in an office, and at the same time retained some of my piano pupils. When I became a married woman I gave up my office job, while still retaining my private piano pupils. Whilst enrolled on the office skills advanced course, I came across a lovely Iranian Bahá’í, named Misagh Tahmassebi, who was on the same course.  We became great friends. Misagh introduced me to the Bahá’í Faith and we remained bosom buddies. I was very interested in the Bahá’í Faith, so I started attending regular firesides in Newcastle at the home of Joe and Mary Jameson.  I met my future husband John at lodgings in Jesmond, Newcastle, in January 1962. I invited him to a fireside, and he was rather cautious at first, having numerous and lengthy discussions with Joe Jameson about all matters pertaining to the Faith.

John was born in Greater Manchester on 16th April 1931 and adopted before the age of one by Frances and Harry, who were wonderful parents to him and he was deeply fond of them. As a family they lived in several different areas due to Harry’s work. John studied at a grammar school and was very keen on sports, particularly running, cycling, and football, and he was brilliant at maths, which was always his favourite subject.

He went into the merchant navy as a boy seaman aged 15, where he remained until the age of 30; he was a Leading Seaman when he left. He thought that if he left any later, he would find it very hard to find work in civilian life.  He had a very strong work ethic, both in the navy and on ‘civvy street’.  He was very hard working and diligent, and won the respect of the people he worked with.

After leaving the merchant navy, he first worked for Union Cold Storage as a manager until 1980, when the firm was taken over. He valued the workforce greatly, gave them personal care and attention, and would even deliver their sick pay to their home, which was highly appreciated. One time when the trade unions wanted to call a strike and visited the company, all the workers said that they were very happy with their employment and none of them wished to go on strike.

Afterwards he joined the Canada Life Insurance Company for a short while, and then finally he ran a corner shop in Wallsend for eight years, where he worked very long hours.  The shop was open seven days a week and John worked six of them, only having one day off when I worked in his place.  He ran every aspect of his own business, including the accountancy work, finally retiring in 1990.

Our wedding was on 9th March 1963 and we had a long and happy marriage. From the very first time that John met me, he said he knew I was the one for him. After marriage and giving up the office job, I went to work part-time for the John Lewis company.  From 1982 to 1987 I would work my shift then go to our shop to help John.  I retired in 1987 in order to help John every day until 1990, when we sold the shop and both retired fully.

We were a devoted couple. Although our interests and talents were different, we supported, appreciated and complemented each other.  John for instance liked football and TV documentaries, including those on world affairs. I was more creative and liked fiction, ballet, and music.  I introduced John to classical music and he enjoyed it very much.  We both had a good sense of humour, so there was much merriment around our home.  We also both had a great love for animals, and had various pets.

Not long after we were married, we attended the Bahá’í residential summer school at Dalston Hall, Carlisle, in July 1963. We were strolling in the gardens one day between lectures, when we both decided that we could no longer not be Bahá’ís, so we embraced the Bahá’í Faith together at Dalston Hall.  The following year, John’s mother Frances also became a Bahá’í.

We truly appreciated those who deepened our understanding of the Bahá’í Faith (including Joe Jameson and Dick Backwell), often talking about them.  Within three months of embracing the Bahá’í Faith, John was helping to organise a national Bahá’í summer school.  He served as registrar and committee member for the National UK residential summer school at Dalston Hall for several years. At least one Hand of the Cause attended the summer school every time, and we both had a deep affection for them.  Three Hands of the Cause visited our home: William Sears, John Robarts, and John Ferraby.

In 1968, William Sears visited Newcastle, and borrowed our copy of his book Thief in the Night to take to a radio programme that he was invited to speak on.  Later he gave a copy of the book back to us and inscribed in it “Thank you for letting me have your book which I stole like a Thief in the Day.”

John served on the National Teaching Committee for a number of years.  He was also the editor of the UK Bahá’í Journal for four years, from 1966 to 1970. He proof-read several Bahá’í books, including Principles of Bahá’í Administration, Bahá’u’lláh and the New Era (by JE Esslemont – revised edition), The Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh’– Volume I(by Adib Taherzadeh), and The Unfolding destiny of the British Bahá’í Community. I also helped and supported John in his Bahá’í service, including with some of the proof-reading.

John served on the Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Newcastle from 1963 (the year he embraced the Faith) until 2006, when he needed to step down for health reasons – a total service of around 43 years.  I served on the Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Newcastle from 1964 until Ridván 2017 (53 years in all).

John and I helped with service in the wider northern region, for instance to open Kendal to the Faith, and for a while we helped on a weekly basis in the expansion and consolidation (deepening) activities in Carlisle and Durham.  We were both also involved for a period of time in interfaith activities in Newcastle upon Tyne.

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Some Final Remarks

John was very good with figures, and he tried to be constantly aware of current affairs. He would pray for the plight of the world and those experiencing suffering, and showed empathy for them. He was concerned about the welfare of friends and would try to keep in touch with them.

Because of my deep fondness for music, I loved the quote of Bahá’u’lláh:

“We, verily, have made music as a ladder for your souls, a means whereby they may be lifted up unto the realm on high…”.  Bahá’u’lláh, The Kitáb-i-Aqdas, p.38

I composed five pieces of music set to Bahá’u’lláh’s writings, and recorded them, sung by a Bahá’í friend. I continue to enjoy music, particularly classical music, and regularly attend classical concerts at the Sage Gateshead concert venue.

We both loved travelling, particularly long-distance.  We went on holiday to several countries including the Seychelles, Kenya, Morocco, Gibraltar, Majorca, and the Holy Land.  For many years we regularly attended the Bahá’í summer school in Waterford, Republic of Ireland, and loved the spirit and camaraderie of the friends there.

John said that he loved the Bahá’í administration, and studied it deeply; he always spoke with such warmth for all the efforts of the beloved Guardian, Shoghi Effendi, in building the Bahá’í administrative system.

Until the end, even when he was ill, he would always insist that I attend Bahá’í meetings and not stay behind to look after him. During his final years on this earthly plane, John would always say that he was really content that while he had the ability to serve the Bahá’í Faith, he did all that he could, and so felt he had had his innings. He also constantly said that we were all so privileged to be Bahá’ís.

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Kathleen Coates (with the kind assistance of Fariba Hedayati)

Newcastle upon Tyne, April 2019

John passed away on 1 October 2015, and Kathleen passed away on 21 November 2022.

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