‘Remarkable life’ is set to hit 100 years
AFORMER Rochdale teacher is about to celebrate her 100th birthday.
Irene Purdy will turn 100 on July 29.
She was born in Rochdale, and has worked with her mother, Emily Gaunt, in her clothes shop on Milkstone Road, been a lifelong member of the Labour Party, a teacher at Redbrook Middle School, a pianist, and even a drama critic for the Rochdale Observer with husband, Tom, from 1978 to 1985.
Tom sadly died of oesophagus cancer in 1983 aged 61 after working at the Turner Brothers, where it is believed he inhaled asbestos dust.
Irene has two children, David, 75 and Christine Kirkham, 66, plus five grandchildren, Rowan, Jake, Tom, Frances and
Lewis and four great grandchildren, Bria, Evan, Rosalie and Julia.
Only Lewis has inherited her musical talent.
From 1967 to 1982, she taught English, Music and Drama at Redbrook Middle School, where she became Deputy Head.
She moved from Rochdale to Ramsbottom in 1990, and still lives in her own bungalow.
She is cared for by daughter Christine, who visits regularly, a home carer, due to health problems.
After the death of a close friend, she expressed her desire to never go into a nursing home and her son and daughter have done their best to ensure she stays in her own home.
David said: “We have two events planned for her birthday.
“On her actual birthday, it’s not quite a street party, but all the neighbours on the road where she lives have been told all going to come out of their houses to wish her happy birthday and have a piece of birthday cake.
“On the Saturday there’s going to be a family party at my sister’s house.
“She lives about three quarters of a mile from my mother and hopefully the weather will be nice.”
Irene met husband Tom, who was a painter and decorator and also in the army at a meeting about the Spanish Civil War.
She was selling pamphlets entitled ‘Hawkers of Death’ about Nazi aeroplanes.
David said: “She met my father before WW2.
“He was quite struck by her, and they married in 1942.” Tom served in the army from 1944 to 1947.
Irene also founded a group in the eighties called Growing Old Disgracefully, which grew to be a sizeable organisation.
When Tom gained a degree in the 1950s in Politics, Philosophy and Economics, followed by Christine and David, Irene decided to do a degree.
She graduated from the Open University with a 2.1 in BA Arts in 1990.
She had left school at 14 previously, but always enjoyed education.
David said: “She’s had a remarkable life.”