Mayor attends party to celebrate birthday milestone
IT was celebrations last week for one Knaresborough resident as she reached her 100th birthday.
Sophia Elizabeth Turner, or Sophie, as she is known to her friends, celebrated her special birthday in style, with a party held last Thursday at Hill View Manor.
Sophie has lived at the care home since August, 2005.
The Mayor of Knaresborough, Coun Pam Godsell, attended the party to present Sophie with her special card from the Queen.
Sophie, who was born in Kingston upon Hull, left school at 14 to become an apprentice dressmaker in a large Hull clothing shop. She met her future husband, Alfred, at the local tennis club and after a long courtship and a goal to save 100 before marrying, they married on June 1, 1935.
They were together for 74 years (67 years married), and lived in the same house for 50 years until they moved to Knaresborough to be near their daughter, Ann, and son, Peter.
Sophie has always been a very practical person, enjoying baking, cooking, teaching, dressmaking and making crafts as well as working in her Spirella corsetry business.
Sophie has five grandchildren and two great grandchildren. A regular church-goer, she still belongs to the Mothers’ Union after 63 years.
Her family says she has adapted to her changing circumstances but does find life difficult, as she is now registered blind and misses the hands-on, simple things of life such as watching TV, reading and sewing.
She met her friend Ron, while on holiday with the Russell Sergeant Bing Group and together they have forged a caring life together, getting out as much as possible, meeting friends around Knaresborough, especially those from Gracious Street Methodist Church.
A surprise visitor dropped in from Vancouver for the party. Tom, Sophie’s cousin, whom she first met when she was taken to meet her four long-lost cousins when she was 92 years old, was delighted to be there with Sophie for her special day.
The cousins’ father had given Sophie a doll when he left Hull in1912 and told her to visit him in Canada one day.
He had been due to sail on the Titanic but luckily did not get his papers through in time.
Tom was thrilled to be present for the auspicious occasion with Sophie’s family, friends and many neighbours and carers at Hill View Manor.
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Weather for Harrogate
Thursday 24 May 2012
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: 10 C to 24 C
Wind Speed: 9 mph
Wind direction: North east
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: 10 C to 21 C
Wind Speed: 17 mph
Wind direction: East
