Whitby-born Mary Simpson set to celebrate her 100th birthday

Born on Studley Terrace in 1925 to Robert and Mary Ann Atkinson, Mary was the youngest of six children.

It was a close-knit family including twins William (Bill) and Harry.

Bill worked for Horne’s and then the Whitby Gazette as a printer until his retirement and Harry had a passion for football and was a founder member and team captain for Fishburn Park Football Club.

Robert, Mary’s oldest brother, was the manager at the Maypole where Mary also went to work.

One of her roles at this time was driving the delivery van out to the farms and villages.

Mary would recall how in bad weather she would have to reverse the van up Glaisdale’s Limber Hill.

Mary met Laurence Simpson (Laurie), of Eskdaleside, Sleights and they were married at St Hilda’s RC Church in Whitby in 1947.

After a short spell living in Sandsend, they moved to Sleights.

Three children followed, then in 1958 the family accompanied Laurie, an engineer, to Lagos and remained there until Nigeria achieved its independence in 1960 when they returned home to Whitby.

Work commitments then necessitated a family move to Redcar where a further daughter was welcomed into the family.

Mary has remained living in Redcar to this day.

However, close links have always been maintained with Whitby where the rest of Mary’s siblings remained, the eldest Ellen (Nellie) surviving until she was 104 years old.