Celebrations at Kingsway as Doris turns 104

Hard work and living free from stress are just a few ingredients that 104-year-old Doris McCleery believes go towards making-up the recipe for a long and happy life.
100 year old Peggy Doak with Team Leader Liz Lavery and 104 year old Doris McCleery with team leader Delia Foy of Kingsway Nursing Home US2414-404PM Pic by Paul Murphy100 year old Peggy Doak with Team Leader Liz Lavery and 104 year old Doris McCleery with team leader Delia Foy of Kingsway Nursing Home US2414-404PM Pic by Paul Murphy
100 year old Peggy Doak with Team Leader Liz Lavery and 104 year old Doris McCleery with team leader Delia Foy of Kingsway Nursing Home US2414-404PM Pic by Paul Murphy

Doris, celebrated her birthday on Sunday along with family and friends at Kingsway Nursing Home.

A grandson from Australia and a relative from Spain gave her a ring on her very special day.

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Another resident Peggy Doak celebrated a special birthday on Wednesday. She turned 100.

Doris, who has often been mistaken for a woman of 75 was a former teach who originally came from London.

One of her first memories was as a child of four, when she saw soldiers and horses on the beaches at Bognor Regis during World War 1.

“I remember we were on a family holiday and it was summer,” she said.

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“We were watching the cavalry and the beaches getting ready to go to France.”

She also remembers the first air raid in England which she said took everyone by surprise.

“It was one Saturday morning when me and my family had to hide underneath the biggest thing which happened to be a bed,” she said.

Born on June 8, in 1910 - the same year that Mother Teresa was born, George V became King of England and the year that Mark Twain died.

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At 75 Doris returned to her favourite passion - art and attended the ‘RIPE’ exhibition at the Crescent Arts Centre in Belfast where she exhibited some of her ceramics.

She took up woodcarving a few years ago and only took up ceramic classes just six months ago.

Doris moved to Northern Ireland in 1935, where she married a local minister John McCleery of the of the Non Subscribing Church and spent her working life teaching in Belfast.

The pair had two daughters Sheila and Maureen.

“I have had some good times and bad times,” said Doris.

“I worked hard but was often underpaid but my life has never been dull. A bit of rock and roll,” she giggled.