Sponsored by
Centenarian Gladys had real love of life - PAY YOUR TRIBUTES
TRIBUTES have been paid to a centenarian who died earlier this month after retiring to Scarborough 30 years ago.
Gladys Guy, of Sea View Crescent, Wheatcroft, celebrated her 100th birthday in October and said two of the day's highlights were her message from the Queen and a visit from Scarborough's Mayor.
Her family had invited the mayor and Mrs Guy's daughter, 71-year-old Jean Langley, said it came as a complete surprise.
She said: "Mum looked forward to her birthday so much. She was absolutely amazed when the mayor turned up – she didn't have a clue.
"Somebody said there was a big car and it was the mayor. She just couldn't believe it. She was there for about an hour and she didn't rush off because she was talking to all the people."
Mrs Guy remembers growing up in a big family not far from Kensington Palace.
Speaking in October, she said: "I've lots of happy memories, we had a good life. I've had a healthy life. I never had a toothbrush when I was younger – my mother used to give me a drop of water and a rag and that's how we used to clean our teeth."
Later in life Mrs Guy had a set of false teeth made by her own grandson, Neil McMillan, who was unable to attend October's celebration because he now lives in New Zealand.
Mrs Guy met her late husband Alfred while they were waiting in a queue for a dance at the Shepherd's Bush Empire and the couple were married two years later in 1932.
During the Second World War Mr Guy – who died 10 years ago – served with the Royal Engineers which meant his wife had to bring up her two daughters alone during the Blitz.
She managed to battle through on the home front and went to Hyde Park to celebrate VE Day with her children and the thousands of people who had gathered there.
After retiring the couple, lived in Ilford, Essex, before moving north to settle in Scarborough to be near Mrs Langley and her husband, Arthur.
Mrs Langley, said: "She was a caring and very generous mother. She cared a great deal about her family. She was very happy during the years that she and my dad spent in Scarborough. She always said how friendly the Scarborough people were."
Mrs Guy suffered a heart attack shortly after her birthday and was initially cared for at Scarborough Hospital before being transferred to Pinfold Lodge in Hunmanby.
Mrs Langley praised the staff at the home who made her mother so comfortable that she felt she was at home in her own bungalow.
She added that her mother described Dial A Ride as "a lifeline" and she also received a lot of support from Westborough Methodist Church after the death of her husband.
Julie Banks, the Scarborough Dial A Ride manager, said Mrs Guy was a character with a really "positive" outlook.
She said: "She used to refer to the drivers as 'her men'.
"She was lively, very positive, you could tell, just speaking over the phone, she had a real love for life."
The funeral takes place tomorrow at Woodlands Crematorium at 10.40am followed by a thanksgiving service at Westborough Methodist Church.
You can pay your respects through the Scarborough Evening News book of condolences on thsi website.
Email to a friend
Print this page
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Scarborough
Saturday 04 February 2012
Today
Light snow
Temperature: -0 C to 2 C
Wind Speed: 28 mph
Wind direction: South
Tomorrow
Sunny spells
Temperature: 1 C to 5 C
Wind Speed: 8 mph
Wind direction: West
