Cecilia Colledge Dies at 87

LEXINGTON, MA Miss Cecilia Colledge, 87, of Brookhaven at Lexington, passed away on April 12, 2008 at Mount Auburn Hospital in Cambridge after a brief illness.

She had been a member of the coaching staff of The Skating Club of Boston from 1952 until her formal retirement in 1977, when she was elected an honorary member of the club. She enjoyed a very successful career as a coach of figure skating, with many of her pupils winning titles and medals in regional, sectional and national competitions. She also was actively involved in assisting with the direction of the annual carnival of the club, called “Ice Chips”, now in its 95th year.

Cecilia is one of the legends of the sport and was recognized as such by her election to the World Figure Skating Hall of Fame in 1980. Representing Great Britain, she was an active competitor in World, Olympic, European and British championships during the 1930’s. Among her accomplishments were being the World Ladies champion in 1937, the European ladies champion in 1937, 1938 and 1939 and the British national champion from 1935 through 1939 and again in 1946 after World War II. In the Olympic Winter Games, she was the youngest competitor in Lake Placid in 1932, placing 8th and in 1936 she won the silver medal behind the three time champion Sonja Henie of Norway at Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany.

Following her retirement from eligible competition in 1946, she was twice the Open Professional Ladies champion of Great Britain in 1947 and 1948. She also added the First Class (Gold) test medals in ice dancing and as an instructor to her original Gold medal in singles that she had passed at the age of 10.

Known for her outstanding skill as a skater of compulsory figures, she was also an excellent free skater.

During World War II, Cecilia served as a civilian ambulance driver in the Motor Transport Corps of the British Government during the “blitz” by the German air force in bombing London.

There will be no funeral or memorial service and following cremation her ashes will be deposited in the Colledge family lot in Brookwood Cemetery in England. There are no immediate family members surviving her.