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Hello Dolly: you're 105

May 22, 2008 23:00

By

Jonathan Kalmus,

Jonathan Kalmus

1 min read

Big celebrations were planned yesterday at the Heathlands home in Manchester, where resident Dolly Phillips was due to celebrate her 105th birthday.

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Dolly Phillips and care assistants Edwina Cabasagan and Jane Hodkinson

Born on May 22 1903, she has dedicated her life to community welfare through the Manchester Jewish Soup Kitchen — where she first assisted when she was 17 — and introducing kosher meals-on-wheels in 1942. She continued to work on meals-on-wheels until well into her nineties and took care of its accounts until the age of 101.

She retains a keen wit, greeting the JC: “Shalom Aleichem, a nice Yiddishe boy.” Birthday cards and family photos adorn her bedside table on the nursing floor at Heathlands.

Dolly also produced a note of thanks for a present she had bought her great-great niece.

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