Born in Bradford, west Yorkshire, on October 23, 1918, Irene Hodgkinson, nee de Courcy, celebrated her 100th birthday in Banbury surrounded by relatives including her great-grandchildren.
Irene left school at 14 years old and started her working life as a weaver. She was one of five children having two brothers, Louis and Walter and two sisters Lucy and Margaret.
Irene met her first husband through family in Bradford. She married a second time, to Peter, at the grand old age of 75 in a ceremony not typical of your average pensioner.
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Daughter Carole Paul, said: “She got married in Las Vegas, we all went over.
“They were originally going to get married on a Mississippi steam boat but when they got there the paperwork wasn’t correct.”
The family had set up a reminiscence table which included her Las Vegas marriage certificate and her christening gown.
Asked for the secret of her mothers longevity Carole said: “I would say she has always ate sensibly and not a lot.
“She would have one biscuit and not the packet full. She could quite easily say no to cake.”
Carole added: “I don’t take after her.”
Irene said of the party: “It was a lovely surprise.”
