LACK, Katherine Osborne

1898 - 1978

Katherine Lack

Katherine Osborne Lack was born at Lowestoft, Suffolk on 14 February 1898 and baptised at St Margaret's Church, Lowestoft on 11 March 1898, youngest of the two daughters of Edwin Lack (12 September 1865-6 October 1939), a Post Office staff engineer, and his wife Louisa née Blashill (15 November 1870-30 August 1947), who married at Drypool, St Peter, Sculcoates, East Riding, Yorkshire on 10 October 1894, when both living at Lowestoft and in 1939 were living at Omeath, Chester Road, Poole, Dorset. In 1901, the Lack's were living at Brentwood, Essex but by 1911, Katherine was a 13-year-old, living at 61 Adelaide Road, Brockley, Lewisham, London with her parents, 45-year-old Edwin and 40-year-old Louisa and elder sibling Edna 15, who was also born at Lowestoft and Edwin's mother, 82-year-old widow Eliza Lack, also born at Lowestoft. Katherine studied at the Royal Academy Schools from 2 August 1921 until August 1926 and in 1922, a painter & etcher living at 61 Adelaide Road, Brockley, London when she sailed on the Union Castle 'Norman' for Mombasa, Kenya where in 1922 she married Capt. Leslie Arthur Elmer (20 January 1895-31 January 1945), who was born at Elmswell, Suffolk. She seems to have returned to England to continue with her studies and as Katherine Osborne Elmer, together with her husband and their two children Anne Elizabeth 2 and John Lack 1, who were both born in Kenya, returned to Mombasa on the 'Matiana' on 28 October 1926. Her husband died at Kitale, Rift Valley, Kenya on 31 January 1945, where he was a settler farmer when Katherine returned to England and buried her husband in Great Ashfield All Saints' churchyard, Suffolk. Katherine Osborne Elmer died at 14 Sutton Lodge, Chandon Road, Guildford, Surrey on 20 October 1978.