100 years old... and 76 years together
Couple mark double celebration
WHEN Eric and Dolly tied the knot aged 23 in 1945, they cannot have dreamt that 76 years later they would be turning 100 together – with matching messages from the Queen.
ONE of Britain’s longest-married couples, Eric and Dorothy Dowdy, affectionately called Dolly, put the secret of their longevity down to “the occasional chocolate treat and glass of sherry”.
The couple, who have three children, four grandchildren and one greatgrandchild, live together at Cliftonville Care Home in Northampton, the same town they met in all those years ago.
Speaking of what made her fall in love with Eric, Dolly said: “I was particularly attracted to his smart dress sense and his fabulous sense of humour.”
Eric, who was born on April 11, 1921, a day before Dolly, said: “I can’t tell you the secret to a long and happy marriage, else it will fall apart.” They met when
Dolly was working as a stage manager at the Royal and Derngate Theatre in Northampton and Eric got an acting job.
Their children, Carlene, 75, Elizabeth, 70, and Matthew, 60, have all followed in their parents’ footsteps by working in theatres and acting abroad.
They lived together until April 2018 when Eric moved into the care home.
Five months later Dolly joined him. She said: “I couldn’t stand to be away
from him and I’m not getting any younger. If you can’t beat them, join them.” Lucie Bagnall, the home’s deputy manager, said: “Dorothy and Eric are both huge characters and are an absolute pleasure to care for.”