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Neston's Stella Casson - 100 Years Young!
| Published: 31st October 2014 13:52 |
Stella Casson celebrated her 100th birthday on Friday with her family and friends at a party held in her honour.
Stella Casson, pictured with her daughter Ann-Marie, on her 100th birthday.
She was born Stella Sumner in Pritchard's Row, Little Neston - now known as Town Lane - on 31st October 1914. She went to school at Ness Holt in School Lane.
She left there at the age of 12 and had to continue her schooling at 'night school' as, despite passing the entrance exam for West Kirby School, her parents could not afford to send her there.
At 18 Stella went to work as a nanny for a family in Birkenhead, and it is there that she met John Casson, who was to become her husband. John worked at sea for most of his life, but was also a talented artist in his spare time..more of which anon.
Between the ages of 18 and 21, Stella worked as a nurse, having completed her training at the Little Neston and Heswall Cottage Hospitals. She moved into her house at the top end of Neston High Street in around 1940. The house can be seen in one of two paintings (pictured below) by her husband, which Stella, with her daughter Ann-Marie, is donating to Hallwood Court to mark her 100th birthday.
The house Stella lived in is the brick building situated where Viscount House now stands in Neston High Street.
In 1949 Stella started work part-time at Clatterbridge Hospital, where she nursed in the Casualty Department until 1964. Her last ten years of nursing were at the Steel Works Surgery, where, in her own words, she was renowned for 'patching them up, sobering them up or sending them packing!'
Stella is well known for having been a keen darts player, first playing for the Brewers Arms just after the end of the war. Her last team was the Greenland Fisheries, for whom she played right up until she was 95.
In addition to her daughter Ann-Marie, Stella also had two sons who are sadly no longer with us. She does, however, have 18 grandchildren and great-grandchildren, many of whom were with her today for the celebrations.
Stella was extremely proud to have received a birthday greeting from the Queen and another, on behalf of the Government, from the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, Iain Duncan-Smith.
Greetings were received from Queen Elizabeth II and Iain Duncan-Smith
As you might well imagine, she has been showered with gifts and cards, with one particularly lovely gift coming from Fr Ravi Bosco from Stella's church, St Winefride's, who gave her a golden shawl - a traditional present in his culture, to be given to honour and respect important people.
Fr Ravi gave Stella this lovely and traditional golden shawl.
Happy Birthday to you, Stella, from all of us at AboutMyArea, and many happy returns of the day!
The second of the two paintings by Stella's husband, John, that are being donated to Hallwood Court to mark her 100th birthday.
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TonyJoey's MumPaul TJohn CartlidgeMaria_2004bartLove and best wishes on your special occasion.
Richard and Chris Bartley.
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