Staffordshire woman celebrates turning 104
Working hard but also playing hard is the key to a long and healthy life, according to a Staffordshire woman who has just celebrated her 104th birthday.
Dora Cooper hit the great age of 104 on St Patrick’s Day - March 17.
The great-great-grandmother was born in 1915 in Little Haywood.
She married family friend, Francis at St Augustine’s, Rugeley, when she was 19 and the couple had three children, Cyril, Maureen and Ian.
Mr Cooper was sent out to Greece in the Second World War and was captured before becoming a prisoner of war in Austria.
"He was a prisoner of war for quite some time and I didn't even know if he was alive, the memory that stands out most in my life is watching him walk up the path after coming home from the prisoner of war camp," Mrs Cooper, from Brereton, said.
Mrs Cooper worked as a manager at Hindley’s cake shop in Rugeley for 24 years until she retired in 1976 and was widowed in 1985, when her husband died aged 77.
Last year Mrs Cooper reopened Brereton Library as the oldest resident in the area.
Today, she is a grandmother to nine, has 12 great-grandchildren and three great-great-grandchild.
When asked what the trick to a long health life is, Mrs Cooper said: "I worked hard and looked after my family and I played hard and I knew how to party and went on cruises."
Mrs Cooper said she remembers the Queen Mother opening Blithfield Reservoir in 1953.
She added: "Everybody from Rugeley and the surrounding areas went, it was such a big thing."
Her son, Ian, said: "She lives on her own, she's very independent.
"She's a loveable person and you've only got to see photos to see she's always laughing and smiling she's not like a typical older person.
"She had birthday celebrations at the Boars Head near Sudbury on Sunday. It went very well there was just under 60 of us, family and close friends. We raised more than £500 in a raffle for charity.
"She very much enjoyed it, she enjoys going out, if anybody says would you like to go out, she's out.
"Then we had afternoon tea at the more local Marsh Farm near Abbott’s Bromley on Tuesday.
"She raises money from her birthdays to give to her charity the Midlands Air Ambulance Charity. Both events MAAC people will be attending because Dora is quite a celebratory for them.
"Everyone knows her, when we're out oldish ladies will come up to us who used to work for her on a Saturday in the shop."
