Nellie enjoys century
ONE hundred-year-old Sarah Smith says the secret of a long life is plenty of hard work.
Born and bred in Crewe, Sarah, or Nellie as she prefers to be known, who lives in Linden Court in Crewe, celebrated her century on Christmas Eve.
She was born on Somerville Street in 1906 and lived in the same house for 86 years.
After leaving school at 14, she went into domestic service in Wistaston as a maid for the Hartley family, directors of the then Doody's Clothing Factory in Nantwich Road.
It was there that she met the house gardener and her future husband, Horace Smith, from Willaston.
Horace and Nellie were married during the war on August 4 1940. Unfortunately their wedding night was ruined when they had to be evacuated in the middle of the night because of an unexploded bomb which had dropped opposite their house!
As the last of five sisters to be married, Nellie continued to live in the family home where she was born, looking after her widowed father Samuel Ollier, a retired engine driver.
Sadly, Horace died in 1970 following a railway accident and Nellie has been a widow for 35 years.
The couple's two sons, Malcolm and Graham were born in 1943 and 1947 and Nellie now has four grandchildren and two great-grandchildren plus another one on the way for which she is busily knitting.
Graham said: 'She has always been a wonderful mother to us and never puts herself first.
'She would say a long life is all down to plenty of hard work and always keeping herself busy.
'She is still going strong and was delighted to receive her birthday card from the Queen.'
Friends and family are celebrating Nellie's milestone with a birthday party at her home tomorrow.