A VETERAN of the county who became a local celebrity in her old age has died at 105 years old.

Great-grandmother Doris Hyde slipped away in her bed on January 10, holding her daughter’s hand as she took her final breath.

She outlived all but one of her five children, but loved to spend time with her 12 grandchildren and 22 great-grandchildren.

Her youngest, Christine ‘Topsey’ Salsbury, 72, sat with her mum for three days and three nights before she passed away in Abingdon’s Old Station House care home.

Mrs Salsbury said: “Her whole body had finished. It was greatly worn out.

“She knew she was dying – she said ‘I want to go’ and wouldn’t take the antibiotics. She was mouthing the word ‘Topsey’ and I was saying ‘I’m here mum’, right up until they gave her something to stop her coughing.

“She said she wanted to see her eldest son. Then she just faded away.”

Born in Thames Street, Abingdon, on June 16, 1910, Mrs Hyde was believed to be the town’s oldest resident.

The former auxiliary nurse, who worked with premature babies at the John Radcliffe Hospital, had been suffering from a chest infection.

She was the eldest of 11 children, leaving behind her only living sisters Alma and Heather.

Mrs Salsbury said: “She more or less brought them up as well as her own children. She was very active and home-cooked things like stewed dumplings and steamed puddings.

“She took everybody on as family. She was very close to my three boys because she more or less lived with us when my dad died.

“She was incredible at knitting and sewing, especially dressmaking. She made her sons’ trousers and knitted our school jumpers.”

Her dad Jack, Mrs Hyde’s childhood sweetheart, died suddenly when he was 56.

Mrs Salsbury said: “He was absolutely the love of her life. She had the chance to remarry but she wasn’t interested.

“They grew up together. It was the biggest shock of her life when he died.”

After that she threw herself into her work as a nurse, even taking up nannying after retiring at 65.

Despite never having taken a test, she continued driving until she was 73.

Mrs Salsbury said her mum, who was always popping out to see family, would never leave the house without a slick of lipstick or her leather gloves.

She said: “When we were growing up she was always very smart. She was always in a suit.”

After growing up in Abingdon’s Thames Street, Mrs Hyde moved to Caldecott Road and then to a flat in Boxhill Walk.

For the last 10 years of her life she lived in the care home, and was visited by the town’s mayor and the Oxford Mail on every birthday for the past five years.

More than 80 people attended Mrs Hyde’s funeral at the South Oxfordshire Crematorium near Abingdon.

SHE SAID...
100th birthday
Doris celebrated with 70 friends and family at the Old Station House care home

101st birthday
“I remember this home (in Boxhill Walk) being the railway station and going to Oxford on the Abingdon Bunk train, but apart from that everything has changed completely.
“I have had a lovely day and I am glad everyone came down to celebrate the day with me.”

102nd birthday
“I feel no different from when I was 21, other than having lots of grandchildren and great-grandchildren scattered all over England. I am proud to have always lived in Abingdon.”

103rd birthday
“I stopped counting how many grandchildren I had years ago, they all crept up on me. I don’t feel a bit different at 103. But Abingdon has changed rather a lot, I don’t recognise it.”

104th birthday 
“Thank you everybody for coming and making it a very special day. I’m very pleased to see everyone here.”

105th birthday
“I am extremely happy to be 105 and I’m looking forward to seeing the mayor at my party.”