Ron Smith Care Centre (RSCC) resident Ellen Quinn celebrated her 100th birthday on 17 April.
She celebrated this milestone at a birthday party, held at RSCC’s Woodlands lapa on 15 April, with her son, Richard, from East London, and her grandson, Simon, from Cape Town. Her daughter-in-laws, other family members and friends also joined the party.
According to Richard, Ellen was born in Rhodesia and moved to Johannesburg when she was a child. She had one sister.
She married Edmund Quinn during the Second World War. Edmund was in the air force and served in North Africa and Europe, while Ellen worked in Johannesburg as a hairdresser.
After the war, the couple started their family. They lived in Edenvale and then Bedfordview, before moving to Potchefstroom. They had three sons and were happily married until Edmund’s death over 30 years ago, when Ellen moved to Rand Aid’s Elphin Lodge retirement village.
She lived at Elphin Lodge for 28 years, before moving to Ron Smith Care Centre in 2020.
“My brothers and I were educated in Potchefstroom, where my mother was the chairperson of the PTA of Potch Boys High and famous for attending and catering for sporting events. She was an accomplished gardener, who won prizes, and loved embroidery and knitting,” says Richard.
Ellen has two grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
