Henny Gestetner, widow of Sigmund Gestetner, director of the famous office duplicating company, gave backing to cultural institutions in both UK and Israel.

She was born in Zurich, and sent to learn English in a Jewish family in North London, where she met her future husband whom she married in 1933.

Mr Getstetner’s father, David, the inventor of the stencil duplicating process, founded the company. Sigmund fought in the British Army in World War I, and the gassing he experienced affected his health. He died in 1956, aged 58, leaving his wife with three children.

Mrs Gestetner, who is survived by a daughter and two sons, took over the business and the family farm at Bosham.

Her husband had been on close terms with Chaim Weizmann, Israel’s first president, and the families stayed with each other. She kept up friendships she made with other political leaders including David Ben-Gurion and Golda Meir.

With Israel’s independence after the war, the Gestetners set up a training farm at Bosham, turning young Jewish East Enders into agricultural workers ready for life on a kibbutz.

The training farm, where the youngsters had their own headquarters, a house Mrs Gestetner turned over to their use, continued for nearly ten years.

Her great love was the theatre, and she strongly supported the Festival Theatre from its opening in 1962, and was on the board form its start, serving for a time as chairman.

Actors and Directors, including the theatre’s founding director, Laurence Oliver, stayed at her Bosham farmhouse.

At her 90th birthday at the Savoy Hotel, some of the early players paid tribute with poetry reading.

Other theatres and theatrical institutions to benefit from her generosity included the Royal National Theatre, the Royal Court Theatre and the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art.

Mrs Gestetner endowed two fellowships at Bristol University, giving more than £1m for research into ageing, and helped to fund a 20-bed chemotherapy unit at a hospital in Haifa.

She was appointed OBE in 1970 for services to exports.

Taken from: Chichester Observer, 29/12/05