The secret to living to 105? ‘Be positive!’ says Doris

As well as family, friends and staff from the home and community centre, one special guest was Sidra Naeem, a Deputy Lieutenant of Essex. Doris’ son John told the JC that she “came in an official capacity with full uniform”, and that she “presented Mum with a birthday card with a handwritten poem, plus a gift.

John, 81 and his wife, Stephanie, 82, said that the staff at the care home were “fantastic”.

An only child, John was born in Cricklewood to Doris and her late husband Harry. John recalls a “perfect childhood”, saying he was “very spoilt”.

Before moving there, where she married Harry in 1943, Doris was born in Clapton and also spent time living in Neasden.

Doris Rose in her younger years (Photo: courtesy)[Missing Credit]

The centenarian was a member of Dunstan Road Synagogue in Golders Green, then Kingsbury Synagogue, which she remains a member of to this day.

John described his mum as an optimistic and selfless person. “She was always a very positive person”, he said. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard her complain about illness or anything like that. She’s always more concerned about everyone else.”

After serving in the army as a radar operator during the Second World War, Doris worked as a secretary for various companies, including a now-defunct aerospace manufacturer and for the furnishing trade union.

John told the JC a story about the first of these jobs, during the 1950s, where Doris’ boss often asked her to do his football pools. One selection saw her boss win £70,000 – a fortune of between £1.4-2.1 million in today’s money. Her boss gave her £20 as a thank you.

Mum keeps saying to us that she’s so lucky that we all look after her, but I think it’s the other way round

He said his parents had been “very prolific [ballroom] dancers”, a shared hobby and talent which brought them together as a couple.

Harry passed away in 1968, and Doris met Lew, now also deceased, with whom she moved to Westcliff.

In recent years, John and Stephanie moved to Shoeburyness, near Westcliff to be nearer to Doris – albeit they hardly needed to.

“She’s very independent,” John said, and “she actually has a better social life than we do nowadays!”

Doris is collected from the care home to visit the community centre every Thursday, and “she enjoys going there because they make a fuss of her”, John said. “Mum does like being the centre of attention”, he admitted.

Doris also gets frequent visits from her two grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.

Doris Rose celebrating her 105th birthday (Photo: Jewish Care/FaceBook)[Missing Credit]

She has lately displayed great resilience, as “in the last five or six years, she’s fallen over three times and broken her hip on two occasions”. Nevertheless, she “seems to recover from everything”, said John.

In a post on Jewish Care’s Facebook page, Doris said that the secrets to a long life were “think positive, don’t be negative, don’t moan, and keep your sense of humour”, as well as to “drink lots of water”.

“I think she says that as a joke”, John said, “although she does drink a lot of water!”

Nowadays, Doris is concerned about being a burden to John and Stephanie, which they keep reminding her is not the case. “Mum keeps saying to us that she’s so lucky that we all look after her, but I think it’s the other way round. We’re the lucky ones to still have her with us.”