Elsie Butler, who lives at Dean Wood Bupa Care Home in Brighton, was approaching the big day and staff at the home wanted to make sure she got plenty of cards to mark the much-loved resident’s centenary.
They put out an appeal which was published in The Argus and she received 400 birthday cards.
To celebrate on November 28, Elsie was joined by family, friends and fellow residents for an afternoon tea at Dean Wood’s Sea View café.
Elsie said she was “so touched and grateful for all the cards and birthday love I received”.
She previously gave her advice on how to live a long and happy life.
“My advice would be to visit new places and treasure all the special moments with your family,” she said.
Elsie was born and raised in Croydon to parents Win and Harry alongside older sister Eirene.
She attended Lady Edridge High School on a scholarship before completing an apprenticeship at a hairdresser in Purley High Street.
Elsie met her late husband, Robert, when she was 17 years old during a day out with her sister to the seaside.
During the Second World War, Elsie volunteered for the Auxiliary Territorial Army for over four years and did hairdressing in her spare time, while Robert was in the Chindits and fought during the Burma Campaign.
They married in 1945 and moved to Brighton, where they had their children Margaret, Jacqueline and Robert.
Once their children had grown up, Robert and Elsie enjoyed trips to destinations including America, Canada, Greece and the Canary Islands.
Robert died in 1993 and Elsie moved into sheltered accommodation where she became a social organiser and enjoyed entertaining and throwing parties for the residents.
She moved to Dean Wood Bupa Care Home in 2022 and now enjoys taking part in different activities with her friends.
She is very fond of having tea on the roof terrace with family.
Resident experience manager Julie Mullen said: “Marking milestone birthdays is incredibly important to us at Dean Wood – we love making a fuss of every individual resident and Elsie is truly a character to be celebrated.”
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