Strandfontein great-grandmother Irene Holloway celebrated her 99th birthday on Tuesday January 26. At her side were her close family members while other relatives drove by and dropped off some gifts and treats for her to enjoy.
As a young girl, Ms Holloway had lived in Kensington with her nine siblings. She is the eldest of the Simpson family, said her eldest daughter Pam Michaels, 69, and four of Ms Holloway’s siblings are still alive today.
In 1947 she married the late Peter Holloway and they moved to Bridgetown. they had six children and Ms Holloway now also has 13 grandchildren and 17 great-grandchildren.
During the time she lived in Bridgetown, Ms Holloway worked at a dry cleaners in Woodstock, but later left her job to be a housewife.
Ms Holloway had a stroke in 2017 and is cared for by Ms Michaels.
When lockdown started, her children had to explain to her what Covid-19 was and why she could no longer visit them on weekends, as she had regularly done.
Ms Holloway loved cooking, cleaning her home and sewing clothes. She also loved looking after her grandchildren and believed they should be at home not at creche’.
“She is a strong woman, she is a fighter. She thoroughly enjoyed her birthday and we’re grateful to God she is still with us to celebrate this milestone,” said Ms Michaels.