Express & Star

Black Country woman celebrates 100th birthday

A woman who has lived in the Black Country all of her life has celebrated her 100th birthday.

Published
Gladys Lewis

Gladys Lewis was born on January 1, 1919, at 15 The Dock, Lye, and was one of five children.

She left school at 14 and went to work at Woods in Hales Lane, Lye, as a sheet metal worker, where she earned seven shillings a week.

It was while working there that she met her future husband Noah who was a blacksmith.

The pair moved to Wollescote and went onto have two children, Iris and Arthur.

Gladys stopped working when she had the children but she got a cleaning job when they were of school age, which she continued until she retired.

Gladys enjoyed going on holidays with Age UK, playing Bridge and going to the cinema.

When she reached the age of 97 she asked her family to find a care home for her and it was then that she moved into Cherries Care Home in Kingswinford.

Gladys celebrated her 100th birthday with a family celebration along with other residents and staff, champagne and a telegram from the Queen.

Her daughter Iris and son-in-law John visited, as well as her son Arthur and daughter-in-law Janet who came over from France where they live.