Obituary: Rachel Craig, inspirational Scottish teacher who went on to become deputy director of education

Rachel Craig – until 2011 Rae Doherty – died on 6 January 2026, two days before her 74th birthday. Her final battle with cancer was faced with the fortitude and focus which marked her approach to the full and well-lived life she enjoyed.

Rachel (nee Macleod), known to the family as Rae, was born and brought up on the Island of Lewis, sharing with her elder sister a happy and well-rounded childhood in the Free Kirk Manse of her parents, Rev and Mrs John Macleod. Her mother Christina was an English teacher. From an early age it was Rae’s ambition to become a schoolteacher also.

Rae entered fully into school life at Stornoway’s Nicholson Institute and maintained, until the end, close friendships with her fellow former pupils. As well as excelling in academic subjects, she was a member of the school debating society, participated in school shows and was House Captain for three years as well as Sports Champion. She played for the school netball team, competing with teams from mainland Scotland.

Rachel Craig loved foreign travel and quality fast cars

She continued her higher education in Aberdeen, graduating from Aberdeen College in 1973 with a teaching qualification. As a student she was involved in sport. playing netball against other educational establishments and gaining a Half Blue award for netball during her final year. It was at Aberdeen University that she met Sandy Doherty of Larbert, who was also set on entering a career in teaching. They married in 1975 and spent the bulk of their respective careers in Dumfries & Galloway.

Rae’s first teaching post was at Crossmichael Primary School. She quickly earned the reputation for being an enthusiastic, committed, forward-thinking and progressive professional who focused on equality of opportunities for all pupils, involving herself in a wide range of extracurricular activities wherever she worked.

Rae became a member of the Young Teachers Club and together with another teacher started up the first joint Ranger Guide Venture Scout Unit, The Ravens. A lifelong learner, she undertook courses in hill walking, orienteering and sailing, enabling her to take pupils outwith the classroom environment and enrich their experiences. She took time out of teaching to raise her two children and, on moving house to Dumfries, involved herself deeply in the life of St George’s Church, editing the church magazine, chairing the playgroup and participating in healthy debates in the Housewives Register Group. Her return to the classroom saw her appointed to the staff of Lockerbie Primary School where she was promoted to Senior Teacher in 1988 – the year of the Lockerbie disaster. Rae not only witnessed the devastation but lent her support to school and community alike.

She was promoted to Moffat Academy as Depute Head Teacher and next became head teacher at Elmvale Primary in Annan, remaining there for ten years before taking on a two-year Education Officer secondment to the Scottish government. It was there she enjoyed, with another five secondees from different parts of the country, opportunities to visit many education authorities throughout the land, including her native Western Isles.

Rae’s formidable reputation for expecting from others high quality work and professionalism was born of the standards she expected of herself. Her usually serious, direct work demeanour masked a wicked sense of humour and a gentle empathy for colleagues in need of help and mentoring. Pupils, staff and parents alike found her highly approachable, respectful and kind.

Rae’s appetite for work never blunted her appetite for quality family time, either at home or with the children’s grandparents in Inverness and Larbert. As a family they packed their lives and memories with exciting hobbies, sporting activities and adventurous overseas holidays.

The bottom fell out of their world in 2003 with the sudden and shocking death of Sandy, who by then was Head Teacher in Dumfries’s largest primary school. Devastated as she was, Rae eventually returned to her position with the Scottish government and was eventually appointed to an Education Officer post in Dumfries, rising through the ranks to become Depute Director for Education, from which post she retired in 2013. With her exceptional organisational abilities, drive and flexibility, Rae was skilled in leading, managing, motivating and encouraging. Comfortable in her own skin, she quickly put at ease those around her.

At a function in Carlisle, she met Dug Craig, an Advanced Practitioner in the NHS, and they fell in love. Their wedding in 2011 happily blended her family with Dug’s siblings and theirs. It was then that she chose to switch to her baptismal name, Rachel, and so Rae Doherty became Rachel Craig.

Rachel and Dug moved to Lenzie to be near to her son Graeme and his family and to be closer to airports for their various trips abroad. While her domicile and her names changed, she remained the same person whose pride in and love for her family continued to deepen. With Dug, she shared the joy of seeing her two children, Graeme and Jennifer, marry and have children of their own. Together they made frequent trips to Jennifer’s family home in Canada. Dug became Rachel’s rock, especially when the illness which ended her life tightened its cruel grip. Rachel found security and reassurance in his devoted presence as husband and as an experienced and caring former Advanced Nurse Practitioner.

Rachel’s love for foreign travel and near-obsession with good quality fast cars were constants in her life. Her Christian faith, while taking some serious knocks, was evidenced in the innate compassion, kindness and respect she showed for others.

Her loss is felt deeply, especially by Dug, Graeme, Jennifer and her five grandchildren.

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