WIRRAL’ S BERNICE CELEBRATES HER 101 TH BIRTHDAY
The son of a Wirral woman celebrating her 101st birthday joked her secret to reaching over a century could be drinking a glass of whisky a day.
Stephen Quail also says mum Bernice, a resident at The Hazelwell, a luxury‘ all inclusive’, residential, nursing, palliative and respite care home in Heswall, may have enjoyed a long life because of her positive mental attitude.
Stephen says his mum was a‘ born optimist and never complained’. Bernice has always kept active, playing golf until she was 90. She also drove a car until she was 97.
Originally from Manchester, Bernice moved to Liverpool in her early childhood. Bernice was married twice. Sadly her first husband was killed in World War Two leaving her a widow with three-year-old daughter, Sandra. She subsequently remarried and had a son, Stephen. Her late husband Jack died ten years ago. Bernice has five grandsons and one granddaughter together with seven great-grandchildren, the youngest Wilf who is just five months old.
She lived in Liverpool and worked in the city centre throughout The Blitz and Stephen says has talked of walking to work in the mornings‘ not knowing if her office would still be standing’. After the war, Bernice and Jack founded Goodway Hampers in the 1950s, a family Christmas Hamper business. Based in Liverpool, the business supplied tens of thousands of Christmas hampers across Merseyside for more than 50 years. The business was so successful it enabled them to build their own house on the Wirral. Bernice retired when she was 65.
When Jack passed away, Bernice continued to live in the family home with only the help of a weekly cleaner and regular visits from her two children.
Last August, however, Bernice’ s granddaughter Emma planned to get married in Portugal and Bernice, who was now 100, was too old to travel to the event. With all family members planning to be at the wedding it was decided that a short stay at The Hazelwell care home would put everyone’ s mind at rest knowing that Bernice would be looked after and cared for properly.
When the family returned, Bernice announced that she wanted to move in to The Hazelwell, which only opened in Oldfield Road last summer, permanently.
Now Bernice has celebrated her 101st birthday which she did with a family lunch at one of her favourite restaurants, the Red Fox in Thornton Hough. When asked about what the secret of Bernice’ s long life might be, Stephen said:“ Mum has always being active both mentally and physically and I think that has played an important part, as must the regular glass of whisky at 6 o’ clock every evening! Mum played golf until she was 90 and drove a car until she was 97 with never a point on her licence! She remains a keen bridge player. Perhaps one of the key factors for her longevity is her positive mental attitude – a born optimist who never complained. Life is always about the present and the future. She never dwells on the past. Mum is genuinely very happy at The Hazelwell care home. She is very appreciative of the care and attention that all the staff gives her and the family has been very impressed too.”
22 wirrallife. com