A DUNDONALD woman who served in the fire service during the Second World War celebrated her 100th birthday last week.
Susan McIlwaine spent her milestone birthday on February 26 at the La Mon Hotel and Country Club, enjoying a carvery surrounded by her family.
She is a mother of three children – Caroline Gouin, Anne Buchanan, and Hugh McIlwaine and a grandmother to five and great-grandmother to two. Susan is well loved by her family, with her daughter, Caroline Gouin, sharing the warm memories she has with her 100 year-old mother.
Sitting in her Dundonald home, Susan’s popularity was on display, with numerous presents and cards, including a crisp birthday card from the King, a key gift for the few who reach this milestone age.
Born in 1923, Susan Brown was the second eldest out of ten children, and the notable event in her early life was her service as a firefighter in Belfast in the middle of the Second World War.
She married joiner Hugh McIlwaine, on December 20, 1954. Described as a hard-worker by Caroline, Hugh sadly passed away two years short of the couple’s Diamond wedding anniversary in 2012.
Susan’s daughter, Caroline, shared her thoughts on her mother reaching this incredible triple digit milestone.
Longevity appears to run in the family, with Susan frequently meeting up with her 93 year-old sister, Myrtle. Caroline said it would be nice to follow in her mother’s footsteps.
“I don’t know, it would be nice to turn 100,” Caroline said laughing. “I think she is extremely lucky and blessed, to turn 100 years old.”
At 100, Susan maintains her healthy social life. Attending day centres with her daughters three times a week, she retains a love of ‘getting out and about’.
“She loves getting ready and going to the club, and getting up in the morning and going shopping. She definitely loves shopping,” said Caroline.
“She still loves getting out and about. She goes to her day centre three days a week, she goes out on a Monday with myself and a Wednesday with my sister. She meets up with her sister, Myrtle, twice a week.
“She was very good to all of us and she looked after all of our kids, we didn’t need daycare or anything. We are all very thankful for that,” added Caroline.
Susan fondly spoke about her carvery birthday party last Sunday, while echoing the sentiments of her daughter regarding her luck in turning 100.
“It was very nice, it was freshly made,” said Susan. “I just happened to be lucky.”
