Great-gran Lilian happy to celebrate 100th birthday in Irthlingborough

A great-grandmother who has lived all but six months of her life in Irthlingborough will celebrate her birthday today (Thursday, July 23).

Lilian Neville was born and raised in Irthlingborough and only moved away briefly to the USA after a wartime romance with her GI husband.

Returning to Irthlingborough, she remarried an old friend, Gordon Neville.

Lilian worked at the Werra Shoe factory as a quality controller, inspecting the shoes before they were dispatched.

Daughter Marie Tilley said: "The only time she left apart for vacations was in 1946. During the war she married an American serviceman.

"After the war ended and he was shipped back to the States, she followed but only stayed six months. They knew the marriage was not going to work so after seeing a lawyer he sent her back to England with my two-year-old brother John and she was six months pregnant for me. This was in September 1946.

"She remarried two years later to Gordon Neville. They knew each other for years, they lived on the same street. He was away during the war in the Navy on mine sweepers. They were married 45 years when he passed away very suddenly."

Lilian's mother, also from Irthlingborough, lived until she was 102.

A keen churchgoer, Lilian attended Irthlingborough Methodist Church before she became too frail but received home visits from church members.

Marie, who emigrated to America in 1969 with husband Peter, said: "Until this virus came, the people from the church were able to visit her and she really misses them.

"We always have a good time when I visit which is normally twice a year, April and October, and I stay for three weeks.

"She has a crazy sense of humour and so do I so we laugh at ourselves and each other. She does very little now, only watches the TV - she loves Tipping Point.

"She loves it when the young male doctor comes to see her. It’s like she is 30 again and she actually flirts with him."

Ruth Rollings, church secretary and senior steward for Irthlingborough Methodist Church, said: "Everyone at the church would like to wish Lilian a very happy birthday.

"She's been a very long-standing member of our church and we hope to be able to celebrate her big day with her sometime soon."

Lilian has two children - John Daly and Marie Tilley - four grandchildren Joanne, Allison, Andrew and Lynne and 12 great grandchildren: Joshua, Jacklyn, Kyle, Kayla, Krysten, Maggie, Charlie, Sam, Michael, Kendra, Ava and Harrison.

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