A museum in Woodley has closed this week so staff can say goodbye to its co-founder who died in October.

The Museum of Berkshire Aviation Woodley, in Mohawk Way, Reading, closed today (November 27) for the funeral of Jean Fostekew.

An obituary written for Jean by the museum reads: “Jean dedicated her professional life to aircraft design and later, to Woodley’s aviation museum. Sadly, she passed away on October 29.

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“Back in the day, in a male-dominated environment, Jean studied at the Miles Aeronautical Technical School (MATS) in Woodley from 1947, taking examinations in Pure & Applied Maths and the Theory of Machines  - prior to becoming one of this country’s first female qualified aerodynamicists.

“With a passion for celebrating the achievements of women in aviation, after retiring she wrote the book ‘Blossom’, a biography about Woodley resident Mrs F. G. Miles, known to all back then as Blossom, founder of MATS and a supreme aviator herself.

“Jean dedicated almost all of her years in retirement helping to establish Woodley’s museum.

“From a few bits of local aviation wreckage in a dilapidated original hangar - moved to and then extended in its current location, to an attraction which now ranks at the top tier of Tripadvisor ratings and attracts visitors from all over the world.”