Mary all smiles as she turns 100
A centenarian was treated to a gin and tonic as well as a slice of cake to mark her big day.
Mary Bourne was able to celebrate her 100th birthday with her daughter, Margaret Copeland, and the care staff at the Firs Care Home in Dudley.
A large number of cards and presents were laid all around Mary’s room, as well as the congratulatory card from the Queen.
Two birthday cakes were also made specially for the occasion.
For Margaret, it had been a “blessed relief” to see her mother make it to 100.
She said: “I’m relieved she’s still here as she was very poorly five weeks ago and we didn’t think she would make it to today.
“However, the girls at the Firs have done such a brilliant job to keep her going and she’s very much enjoying herself.
"We’ve been restricted about what we can do and I had to take a Covid test just to be able to come in, but it’s all worth it to see her smiling today.”
Mary was born n Humphrey Street, Lower Gornal, on October 6, 1920, and went to school at Brierley Hill Grammar School after passing her 11 plus exam.
She met her future husband, Harry Bourne, in the late 1930s, with the couple marrying in 1945 at Himley Road Chapel, Lower Gornal, after Harry – who died in 1973 – returned from fighting in Egypt during the war.
Mary’s own war effort saw her qualify as a secretary and work in Birmingham for the rail service. She then worked as a fire Marshall in Sedgley before working for Tarmac as a secretary. She continued to work before retirement in 1982 and then took on voluntary roles with charities around the community.
