LEWTHWAITE, Lady (Diana Helena nee TOMKINSON) 1943-2023

[Richard R]

From the Telegraph of 9 Feb 2023: LEWTHWAITE, Diana (née Tomkinson) on 30th January 2023. Widow of Sir David Lewthwaite Bt, adored mother of Emma and Mary-Claire and amazing Granny to Poppy, Harry, Charlie, Ben and Petra. Funeral Service on Thursday 13th April at 2 p.m. at St Anne’s, Thwaites. No flowers please. Donations if desired to St Anne’s.

She was d of William Robert TOMKINSON 1909-80 by his c1940 m reg Q1 London Helen Mary 1913-2000 d of Cdr Sir Charles Rodney BLANE 4th & final Bt RN 1879-ka1916 and Amy Henrietta 1886-1970 d of Col George Francis LEVERSON CB CMG 1856-1938 by his 10 July 1884 m to Ethel Frances Riland 1857-1932 d of Rev William Kirkpatrick Riland BEDFORD 1826-1905 (2xgt gs of Sir Thomas KIRKPATRICK of Closeburn 2nd Bt). She m 1969 Sir David Rainald LEWTHWAITE 5th & final Bt 1940-2004, and had two daus.

[colinp]

Obit in the Telegraph -  Diana Lewthwaite, skier who competed internationally for Britain in the 1960s – obituary (telegraph.co.uk)

EXTRACTS:

Diana Lewthwaite, skier who as Di Tomkinson competed for Britain in the 1960s – obituary

Hailed ‘bravest and toughest’ of skiers, Di Lewthwaite also helped her husband running the pioneering chalet ski holiday firm Supertravel

Diana Lewthwaite, who has died aged 79, was a British skier of the 1960s who represented her country under her maiden name of Diana Tomkinson in World Cup events and at the 1968 Winter Olympics.

Once she had finished with competitive skiing she moved on with her husband, David, to run Supertravel, one of the first businesses to offer catered ski chalet holidays. Later she also entered the world of equestrianism as an owner of three-day eventing horses, most notably Supreme Rock, which won a team silver at the 2000 Olympic Games in Australia.

Diana Helena Lewthwaite was born on April 23 1943 in London to William Tomkinson, an accountant, and Lady Helen Blane, who had competed as a skier in a Winter Olympics – in 1936 at Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany….

In 1969 she married David Lewthwaite, (later Sir David Lewthwaite, Bt) whom she had met the previous year at a ski ball. David had set up Supertravel in 1964 and Diana became a high profile and knowledgeable asset to the business. Phasing out her competitive skiing, she helped David to run the company while also bringing up their two children……

After her husband’s death in 2004, Diana spent much of her time dealing with the affairs of the Lewthwaite baronets’ ancestral home, Broadgate, and its 550-acre estate in Millom, Cumbria. She installed tenant farmers on the land to help pay a huge inheritance tax bill, and converted the house into a successful high-end bed and breakfast establishment…..

She is survived by her two daughters.

Diana Lewthwaite, born April 23 1943, died January 30 2023