Smiles all round as Northants woman celebrated 104th birthday with loved ones
A Northamptonshire woman celebrated her 104th birthday over the weekend, and was surrounded by loved ones eager to mark the milestone.
May Ennifer turned 104 on Saturday (September 7) and a party was hosted in Towcester, in which family members travelled far and wide to be with her on her special day.
The 104-year-old was the eldest of 10 children and left school aged 14. She has two children, seven grandchildren, 14 great grandchildren and seven great great grandchildren.
May moved to Northampton from Coventry to be local to her daughter, and now resides in Clare House Residential Home.
She lived a busy post office and shop work-life when she was married, and carried out clerical work during the war. She was also a keen baker and seamstress.
Last year, when May spoke to the Chronicle & Echo to mark her 103rd birthday celebrations, she fondly looked back on times when she was free from the war.
Though there was not a great deal to eat, May says she and her friends made the most of it by going dancing at the ages of 14 and 15 – having made out they were actually 16.
“We enjoyed ourselves as best we could, and we made the most of what we had,” she previously said.
When asked what she thinks is the key to living a long and happy life, and what advice she would give youngsters, May said: “Just carry on and be independent. Carry on doing your own thing and pick yourself up.”
This year May’s granddaughter Amanda Dunkley, who travelled from her home in South Wales to Northampton for the party, spoke to this newspaper.
Amanda described her nan as straight talking and reminisced on the summer holidays she spent at her home in the New Forest. The pair were very close during Amanda’s childhood.
It was May’s disciplined attitude that kept Amanda in line as a child, and she described the way she “worshipped the ground her nan walked on”.
Amanda had not seen May for a couple of months, and looked forward to reuniting with her to celebrate her 104th birthday in Towcester.
“She was the eldest and looked after everyone else,” said Amanda. “She was very firm and there was no messing as an adult, but as a teen she was quite a rebel. She made the most of wartime, and they went out and enjoyed themselves as much as they dared.”
Amanda described her nan as “prim, proper and very organised” and this was reflected in the bed and breakfast business she ran in her earlier years.
“Everything was run professionally and regimented,” said Amanda. “She was like royalty back then and was very well thought of in the community. I was gutted when she gave it up.”
When Amanda was a child, May would be there in an instant if she dropped a hem on her clothing as she really enjoyed sewing.
Around 20 people were in attendance to celebrate May’s 104th birthday on Saturday (September 7), including the Mayor of Towcester who paid her a special visit.