Tribute to Kettering’s oldest landlady who has died at the age of 106

The life of one of Northamptonshire’s longest-lived residents has been celebrated at her funeral this week in her hometown of Kettering.

A keen bowler, Marjorie Wright had reached the age of 106 when she died on May 20 – her last game of bowls had been in January.

The Kettering centenarian was believed to have been the county’s oldest property landlady taking hands-on approach when dealing with her tenants.

Paying tribute to her mum, daughter Eve Wilkins said: “She walked every day as she could not drive. She was amazingly fit never and used a walking aid.

"Her generation just got on with it. She had a hard early life, sometimes only having bread and milk for lunch.

"Even when she contracted Covid at the age of 106 she recovered. She put her long life down to hard work, a loving family and exercise, walking every day.”

Born Edinburgh Road, Kettering, the eldest of four children, her father was a decorated First World War hero.

The young Marjorie started work in a shoe factory, earning at 10 shillings a week by working from 7.30am to 5pm.

It was whilst at a dance in the town’s Central Hall that she saw her future husband Leonard across the room – the ‘best day of her life’.

On the couple’s 70th anniversary, speaking to this paper she recalled: “We met at a dance in the town, I was dancing with someone else at the time and saw him come into the room. We dated and went from there.”

In 1938, about 16 months after they first met, they married at St Mary’s Church but both returned to work after the celebrations rather than honeymooning.

A year after the couple wed, Leonard was called up to the Army, where he spent six years in North Africa, Italy and Greece having one day’s leave when daughter Eve was born.

Back in the UK he returned to his job in the meat industry and Marjorie worked in a shoe factory’s closing room.

In 1963 they took on a corner shop working seven days a week. The couple ran a tobacconist wholesale business for more than 13 years.

On retirement from the businesses Marjorie took up bowls which became her passion, playing at county level.

As well as taking her daily walk she took a keen interest in her property portfolio. She had been a landlady for more than 50 years and enlisted the help of lettings agency Belvoir just after her 100th birthday, at the suggestion of her daughter Eve Wilkins, after an unpleasant experience with one particular set of tenants.

Belvoir Kettering managing director Bobby Singh Braich described her as an ‘incredible woman’.

She lived independently until her death on May 20. Marjorie is survived by her daughter, Eve, three grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.